The Pittsburgh Steelers have the task of playing a third-straight AFC North contest in Week 13 and will travel to compete against the Cincinnati Bengals. It will be no easy task, as Joe Burrow and co. are one loss away from pretty much being removed from the playoff conversation. Coming off of a disappointing loss to the Cleveland Browns, Mike Tomlin and his team will be looking to get back on the right track. A lot was made after the Thursday Night Football defeat in regards to TJ Watt and his inability to have the same effect on the game that Myles Garrett had.
Watt will look to bounce back against the Bengals and has an absolute menace in Trey Hendrickson to try and outperform. The Bengals' edge rusher leads the NFL with 11.5 sacks, while Watt has only brought the quarterback down seven and a half times. Watt will have an opportunity to wreck the game in Week 13, going up against Cincinnati's rookie right tackle, Amarius Mims.
Mims was often mocked to the Steelers in the 2024 offseason, but was scooped up by the Bengals with the 18th overall pick. Pittsburgh went on to grab Troy Fautanu with the 20th selection. Mims spoke with Geoff Hobson of Cincinnati's official website, and gave props to Watt, but wanted to send a clear message that he doesn't care who is on the other side of the line.
"I know how good he is," Mims said. "I know he's one of the greatest. I'll give him his props. But it's up to me this week. It's on me … This week is about me. I don't want to get out of character just because of who I'm playing."
Mims won't be tasked with blocking Watt alone. Opposing teams have done an excellent job at chipping the 2021 AP Defensive Player of the Year, which has affected his ability to get to the quarterback. Watt is still very much in the running to win the NFL's top defensive award in 2024, but a poor performance versus the Browns tightened the race significantly.
Pittsburgh's season won't go down the toilet if the Bengals come away with the win on Sunday, but the contest almost feels like a must-win for Pittsburgh. The team has a very difficult schedule in December and into January, which will ultimately determine if the AFC North crown is given to the Baltimore Ravens or the Steelers. Watt will be a critical part of this late stretch and Mims very well could be in the wrong place at the wrong time on Sunday.
Mims has allowed three sacks in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus, which leads one to believe that he has had a relatively solid first season at the professional level. Watt, however, is a different breed of pass rusher. Mims in correct in implying that he shouldn't be worrying about who is on the other side, but it's hard to imagine that he isn't a bit nervous about going up against one of the league's best.
The Steelers have an opportunity to improve to 9-3 overall and 2-1 in the AFC North, but an upset-minded divisional opponent in the Bengals won't make it easy. This is why Watt having a monster game going up versus Mims could be the key to an eventual victory. Burrow has the ability to pick apart defenses, so giving him little time to throw will be pivotal.
Steelers Preparing The Bank To Pay TJ Watt Once Again
Watt will enter the 2025 offseason with just one year left on his contract. It is a reasonable expectation to foresee a new contract in his future. The complexities will be a bit different than his 2021 extension, given the fact that he is older, and the Steelers may need to pay a quarterback a significant amount of money. All in all, he's worth every bit of whatever he will get in a new deal.
