Fim Study: How CLE was able to stone TJ Watt

[Megatron96]

How The Browns Were Able To Neutralize T.J. Watt On Sunday

CLEVELAND, Ohio --Breaking out as the potential favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year, Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt was a dominant one-man wrecking crew in the 2020 season. Leading all defenders in sacks (15.0), tackles for loss (23), quarterback hits (41), and pressures (55), he's transformed into the face of the Steel Curtain and should be an easy lock for a payday from the team.

The Browns offense took all that into consideration and prevented him from getting a single hit or sack on Baker Mayfield. On a day where Joel Bitonio was out and Jack Conklin missed the second half of the Wild Card Round, Cleveland negated one of the game's best pass rushers into a nobody, using his disappearance as the offensive line's greatest magic trick. This aided not only in the team's first playoff win since 1994, but their first win in Pittsburgh since 2003.

Not a single hit, not a single sack was allowed against Watt. In fact, that was the case for the entire Steelers defense, as they went without a single QB hit for the first time all season. Using backups like Michael Dunn, Kendall Lamm, and a guy named Blake, this is a modern-day miracle.

So...how the hell does a depleted offensive line easily contain a cyborg pass rusher? Let's take a look for ourselves and see how the Browns were able to neutralize T.J. Watt on Sunday.

https://247sports.com/nfl/cleveland-...day-159107985/

[Pasta Little Brioni]

Originally Posted by Mav

I suggest you go look at how Baker did against the Blitz Sunday. Might not be the best strategy.

Baker Cassel and the Twenty ten Chief Browns?

[Megatron96]

Originally Posted by Mav

I suggest you go look at how Baker did against the Blitz Sunday. Might not be the best strategy.

Spags won't blitz for the sake of blitzing. He's going to show a lot of blitzes, and then bail out, or send blitzers from odd angles, delayed blitzers, etc. I won't be surprised if most of the game he sends blitzers from the left, and take away Baker's ability to roll out left. When that happens, I won't be surprised to see Clark/KPass in coverage on the right, but in a position to rush Baker if he decides to run.

Basically it should look a lot like what we did to BUF and Josh Allen. Spags is going to funnel Baker's choices into the meat of the secondary, and force Mayfield to make great throws into the teeth of the coverage, under pressure.

Based on what we've seen Spags do over the past 2 seasons, that's exactly what I would expect him to do.

The trick to all of that, is stopping the run, of course. Gotta win 1st and 2nd downs, and put Stefanski/Baker into the position of 3rd and long, and make Baker do things he doesn't want to do, like roll out right, and make throws over a DE downfield into double coverage.

[tatorhog]

Sneed is going to be giver of the Big Mac this week...again.

[tatorhog]

nailed it

[Megatron96]

Holy crap. I forgot about this thread.

And I got it right. For once.