Sunday's matchup against the Bengals will be just the third time this season the Steelers had both of their starting outside linebackers: T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith.
The Bengals are quite aware of what that tandem can do. Watt and Highsmith combined for four of the Steelers' seven sacks and forced five Joe Burrow turnovers en route to an overtime win.
"I don’t want to speak for them, but I’ll just assume that they’re probably talking about making sure they take care of the ball better and not give us opportunities that way," Teryl Austin said Thursday. "We’re going to have to really work hard to try to see if we can get some turnovers, get some takeaways from these guys. I know we had a stellar game the first time. That usually doesn’t repeat itself."
"You never go into a game expecting certain stats," Watt said Friday. "Just go into the game, play the best you can and obviously come out with a win. There's no preconceived expectations or statistical things. We just want to get after the run and the pass."
That first matchup was supposed to be a sign of what the edge could bring for the Steelers this season, but a torn pectoral sidelined Watt until Week 10. In his absence, Highsmith and the rest of the Steelers front seven ranked near the bottom of the league in sacks and pressure.
When Watt returned against the Saints this past Sunday, Highsmith picked up a pair of sacks and earned Defensive Player of the Week honors.
So how much of Highsmith's elevation Sunday because of work he did, and how much of it is because Watt returned?
"I think it's probably a little bit of both," Austin said. "I think it's the way he works and how he's gone about his business from the offseason and going into this year, and obviously getting T.J. back. I mean, that makes a difference. You have the guy who was last year's Defensive Player of the Year. He comes back in the game; he's going to affect the game. And I think what that does is it allows, on both sides—they can’t chip both sides. You can't double team guys, so it allows some guys to have maybe a little bit more one-on-one rush. I think he took advantage of it and hopefully we can continue that moving forward."
The duo complement each other well. So it would make sense that they compliment each other, too.
"Having him back in the lineup, he brings so much energy to our lineup," Highsmith said Wednesday. "I mean, first play of the game he was back there for a tackle for loss. His presence is definitely felt, and it was felt immediately in the Saints game. I know teams are preparing for that. It was just amazing having him back."
"He's a very studious football player," Watt said. "Always looking at the film. Always asking the right questions. Doing a phenomenal job in practice, trying different moves, always work shopping. The hard work is paying off for him."