T.J. Watt Criticizes Steelers' Turnover-Focused Defense After Chargers Loss
Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt expressed concerns about the team's defense relying too heavily on creating turnovers to succeed. Despite playing well overall in Week 10 against the Los Angeles Chargers, the Steelers defense failed to force a takeaway—something that has now happened in four of the last five games. The Steelers lost three of those games.
Turnover margin is recognized as a key factor for NFL success, and losing this battle has become a major talking point for the Steelers, especially given head coach Mike Tomlin's emphasis on the statistic. After losing 25-10 to the Chargers, Watt stressed that the defense needs to improve in other areas beyond just forcing turnovers.
“We can’t continue to live and die by the turnovers as a defense. We need to get off the field, we need to stop the run. Critical third downs, we need to do a better job of. We need to play better.”
The Steelers limited the Chargers to 4.6 yards per play and allowed just 5.2 yards per pass, sacking quarterback Justin Herbert five times. However, Los Angeles ran more plays than the Steelers offense, controlled the clock with a strong running game, and maintained possession for most of the game due to their lead.
Summary
T.J. Watt urges the Steelers defense to improve in stopping the run and converting critical third downs, rather than relying solely on creating turnovers for success.