New England Patriots: 3 Steelers to fear in Week 2 AFC matchup
Pittsburgh Steelers player to watch No. 1: Alex Highsmith
If you aren’t familiar with Alex Highsmith yet, that may be set to change very soon. With Watt set to miss time, the Steelers are going to need someone to step up and fill his void as their top pass rushing threat. Luckily enough for Pittsburgh, Highsmith racked up three sacks against the Bengals to open his season.
Highsmith has become a solid complement to Watt at the outside linebacker position, and he’s quickly turned himself into a very well rounded player. Entering the third season of his career, Highsmith started things off with a bang, and his three sack day ended up getting overlooked thanks to Watt’s injury and Fitzpatrick’s heroics.
Highsmith is going to have to prove that his Week 1 performance wasn’t a fluke now that Watt is injured. He will have some help alongside him in Cameron Heryward still, but Highsmith’s importance to the Steelers increased quite drastically in a short amount of time.
Whereas the New England Patriots offensive line would have to keep an eye out for Watt, they are going to have to keep a close watch on Highsmith in Week 2. He may struggle with the additional attention he will receive with Watt on the sideline, but it would be better to focus on him and keep him quiet rather than let him run wild for the second week straight.
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Considering New England allowed a strip-sack of Jones that led to a free touchdown for Miami in Week 1, pass protection is going to be one of the biggest keys to this game. The Steelers have an aggressive defense, and they are going to attack Jones all day long. Whether the o-line can hold up against Highsmith and company could determine whether the Patriots win this game or not, making Highsmith an extremely important player to keep an eye on in this one.