RK STEELERS’ DEFENSIVE STAR DROPS BOMBSHELL AHEAD OF WEEK 12 T.J. Watt gave a candid breakdown of how the Pittsburgh Steelers are targeting the Chicago Bears’ weakest link — and it’s sending shockwaves through the league.

The Pittsburgh Steelers recently put on a clinic against the Cincinnati Bengals in the rematch at home last Sunday, winning by a score of 34-12. This time around, the Steelers were able to ice the game on defense with a critical interception and fumble recovery late, and add a statement win to their season as they look to retain their lead over the AFC North with a pivotal matchup against the Chicago Bears next on the schedule.

This matchup will be a critical test for the Steelers’ defense in a big way. The Bears have only given the ball away six times throughout the season, while forcing a NFL high 22 total turnovers. This means that the Steelers will need to work much harder than they usually do in order to force the Bears into a mistake which would cause a turnover. Naturally, this has been a big question asked by both Steelers fans and members of the media to the players, as everyone wants to know how the Steelers’ defense is planning to approach this game.

In particular, Steelers linebacker TJ Watt was asked this critical question in his latest address to the media. Watt was asked how the team planned to force the Bears into making mistakes, and the answer he gave lays out portions of their plan.

“Just continue to do our job man, chip away at it, we know they have a really good run game, they’re very efficient with the football,” Watt said. “They do a lot of different things to protect the ball, to get on the perimeter, they also trust the offensive line to protect. I know the time to throw and things of that nature are a little bit longer, but they take care of the football really well and we just gotta do our job.”

Watt’s comments are very accurate at the end, when he references the Bears being able to take care of the football well. Current Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has only thrown four interceptions all year long, and hasn’t thrown an interception since their Week 7 game against the Baltimore Ravens. Williams has been able to keep his play relatively clean throughout the season, but now he faces a Steelers defense who has forced opposing teams into a multitude of mistakes all year long.

The last time Watt made comments on how to defeat a team, that team was the Bengals. The Steelers’ defense seemed to take his words to heart, as they flipped the script and completely dominated the Bengals in the second matchup, and the Steelers’ defense would do good to repeat the performance against the Bears. 

Going into the matchup against the Bears, the team will need to not only hope they can repeat the consistent turnovers that they had against the Bengals, against a team that rarely turns the ball over, but they’ll need to exploit another critical weakness of the Bears that hasn’t been a point of discussion consistently around the league.

Steelers Need To Put Significant Pressure On Caleb Williams

When analyzing the games that the Bears have lost throughout the season, one stat pops out on the sheet. Each time the Bears have lost, Williams has been sacked at least once, and has thrown an interception in all but one of those losses. The Steelers’ defense needs to put as much pressure on Williams as they can to force their hand into making him throw the ball with less care, leading to potential interceptions. The Steelers’ defense also needs to take away the running game, forcing Williams to beat them with his arm. In the instances that this occurs, Williams has usually not been able to succeed.

2026 NFL draft prospects to watch for the Washington Commanders during their bye week, including WR with top matchup

Makai Lemon is a 5-11, 195-pound wide receiver who has a legit argument to be WR1 in the draft. Lemon has been the most consistent player in college football this season, and he’s put out ridiculous tape to watch leading up to the draft in April. His route-running is as crisp as it gets, and despite his smaller size, he fights for every ball like he’s a big-bodied wide receiver. Lemon is a true nightmare in coverage with his ability to get leverage and separation, and even when he’s well covered, which doesn’t happen often, his hands turn into a magnet for the ball.

The No. 15-ranked USC Trojans have a tough matchup on the road against the No. 7 team in the country, the Oregon Ducks. These are the games where blue-chip prospects have their biggest moments, and he will have no shortage of opportunities. Don’t be surprised when Lemon plays his way into the top-10 and WR1 conversations for the draft.

Zion Young, ED, Missouri vs Oklahoma

The only other ranked vs ranked matchup of the weekend is between No. 22 Missouri vs No. 8 Oklahoma, with a lot of prospects to watch for. Zion Young is a juiced-up edge rusher for the Tigers who will be one of the biggest x-factors of the game. Young was a player I ended up taking in my latest Commanders’ 7-round mock draft because of his ability to stop the run at a high level on the way to the quarterback. He’s 6-5, 262 pounds, and currently has six sacks, 33 pressures, and two forced fumbles.

Stopping the run is just as important, and not many rookies can do it right away, but Young’s 8.7% run stop rate will translate well with his discipline. Young could be an option in the third round, but he’s probably going to have a great draft process and be a fast riser. The Commanders very well could trade back if they end up with a high enough pick, and Young is a prime candidate who could go anywhere from the second or third round.

Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee vs Florida

The Commanders desperately need to repair the secondary, with how badly the defense has struggled this season. Someone needs to replace Marshon Lattimore, who is likely gone this offseason , and Colton Hood would be a great fit to play on the outside opposite of Trey Amos. Hood is a 6-foot, 195-pound corner who is making the most of his opportunity as just a redshirt Sophomore. He has the length and speed to keep up with any wide receiver on the outside and fight at the point of contact.

Hood has only allowed 24 catches on 393 coverage snaps this season, with Tennessee’s top corner, Jermod McCoy, out with an injury. He has a great opportunity on the road against the Florida Gators to continue building his resume and putting out elite tape for the draft.