Football Footnotes: Steelers approach if T.J. Watt can't play; 3rd-down play-calling; Miami's strengths

As everyone associated with the Pittsburgh Steelers waits for health updates on T.J. Watt, the team has to create plans if he can’t play Monday night against the Miami Dolphins.

Given the personnel the Steelers have at outside linebacker, those contingencies would seem obvious. Then again, have you seen the snap counts in recent weeks?

We discuss that topic and much more in this Friday’s “Football Footnotes.”

• If Watt’s lung issue prevents him from playing, Nick Herbig will get the start at outside linebacker opposite Alex Highsmith. After a hot start to the year, Herbig hasn’t had a sack in three weeks.

In part, that’s because Highsmith has returned to the lineup for the last two games after missing two weeks because of injury. That’s also because the last two opponents (Baltimore and Buffalo) have been run-oriented.

Herbig has barely played of late, logging just 39% and 33% of the defensive snaps (56 total) during those last two contests.

The Steelers blow a lot of smoke about how much better Herbig has gotten against the run. It often isn’t reflected in terms of snap distribution. Personally, given their overall woes on run defense, I’m not sure how much worse it can really get if Herbig plays more often in those situations.

Oddly, Jack Sawyer, a rookie with good potential, was drafted in the fourth round out of Ohio State, with an eye toward being an outside linebacker with some run-stopping defensive end traits. Yet he has played just 11 snaps total in the last two games.

If Watt doesn’t play, those two will see the field a ton on Monday, and they need to play well against Miami’s ground-oriented attack. Even if Watt does play, their snap count needs to go up in an effort to spell Watt to give his lungs (and his legs) a break.

• Miami rushes for 126.5 yards per game. That’s eighth in the NFL. De’Von Achane, with 1,126 yards (fourth in the NFL), gets a lot of credit for that.

However, the Miami offensive line is quite good as well.

“As a unit, they are very athletic,” defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said. “They have some perimeter schemes, and they get those guys out. They get bigs on little people. When you get bigs on little people out in space, they can create seams for the runners; that’s good business for them. That’s why they’re rushing the ball so well.”

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— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) December 7, 2025

Steelers defensive lineman Derrick Harmon had specific praise for Dolphins’ center Aaron Brewer. At 6-foot-1, 295 pounds, he’s smaller than a lot of NFL offensive linemen, but he is very mobile.

“That center, he is athletic getting to that second level quick,” Harmon said. “He does a good job. We’ve got to put hands on him so he can stop getting to the second level at our inside linebackers.”

During their current four-game win streak, the Dolphins have averaged 192.2 yards per game on the ground.

• If you were as frustrated at the Steelers’ play calling in the fourth quarter as I was, coordinator Arthur Smith may have made you feel a bit better on Thursday. At least the Steelers tried to push the ball downfield once.

“The (pass) that got tipped back to Aaron (Rodgers), we stayed aggressive. That’s the risk/reward,” Smith said. “We had a shot. Liked the look. They made a play. They tipped the ball. Thankfully, we got it back. That put us behind the sticks. They made a couple of plays.”

Aside from that, though, the Steelers tried three third-down passes short of the sticks and managed just three three-and-out series the entire fourth quarter.

Smith’s unit ran just nine offensive plays. Meanwhile, Baltimore snapped the ball 40 times and held the ball for 10 minutes, 41 seconds of the fourth quarter. Total yardage in the fourth quarter favored Baltimore, 220-8.

The Miami defense really challenged New York Jets rookie quarterback Brady Cook last week. They sacked him six times and broke up nine of his passes, intercepting two.

Rasul Douglas had five PBUs all by himself.

“They’ve got two really good, solid, veteran corners who do a nice job of keeping things in front of them. They’re very aware and instinctual players,” head coach Mike Tomlin said. “Rasul has been around a long time. (Jack) Jones has been around a long time now. They’re ball guys. You see it. They’ve taken the ball away. They hunt the ball via the turnover.”

Ten of Miami’s 17 takeaways have occurred during their current four-game win streak.

• It’s a good week to have the Steelers on Monday night. The Sunday afternoon games are loaded with key matchups and Steelers-related implications.

Not to mention, it’s Week 1 of the playoffs for most fantasy football owners.

In the 1 p.m. window, two other AFC North teams play each other as the Ravens visit Cincinnati. Also, the Chiefs host Los Angeles and the Bills visit New England. So significant AFC East and West fallout and wild-card residue will result from those battles.

Former Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett leads the Las Vegas Raiders into Philadelphia at 1 p.m as well.

At 4:25, Philip Rivers makes his return out of retirement for the Colts in Seattle. Denver faces Green Bay in a great interconference showdown. And the Rams host Detroit in an important NFC clash. Don’t forget, the Steelers are in Detroit to play the Lions next week.

WATCH: This week’s “Friday Football Show” with Mike DeCourcy and me in advance of Steelers-Dolphins on Monday night.