Steelers edge containment will face its first meaningful test before T.J. Watt or Alex Highsmith gets a clean opportunity to chase Jordan Love. Green Bay brings an offense designed to punish defenders who attack before they finish the read. One snap can begin with outside-zone blocking. The next can feature a tight end slicing across the formation or Love rolling toward the sideline after a convincing handoff fake.
Each play targets Pittsburgh’s aggression. Watt, Highsmith, and Nick Herbig make their living by entering the backfield quickly. Against Green Bay, that instinct can become a trap. An edge defender who charges inside gives the running back space near the numbers. One who races too far upfield creates a lane beneath him. Chasing the handoff can leave Love alone on a bootleg.
The solution requires patience without passivity. Pittsburgh’s outside linebackers must control the blocker, identify the ball, and attack only after the offense declares its intention. Those snaps will not dominate the highlights. They will determine whether Pittsburgh reaches the obvious passing downs where its pass rush becomes most dangerous.
The Steelers host Green Bay at Acrisure Stadium on Thursday, August 13, in their 2026 preseason opener.
Green Bay Attacks the Defense Horizontally
Matt LaFleur’s offense makes defenders cover the entire width of the formation. A receiver can cross behind Love before the snap. Meanwhile, the offensive line steps laterally and the running back presses toward the tackle’s outside leg. A tight end may then travel in the opposite direction, forcing the backside defender to sort through several moving bodies.
The concepts look busy, but the objective remains simple. Green Bay wants one Pittsburgh defender to lose track of his responsibility.
Wide zone creates the clearest test. The running back does not need to attack a predetermined hole. He follows the blocking surface, waits for a defender to commit, and cuts away from that leverage.
When the outside linebacker widens too early, the C-gap opens underneath him. Diving toward the tackle creates the opposite problem and exposes the sideline. Steelers edge containment must take away one of those choices.
The defender should strike the tackle with square shoulders and compress the running lane. That technique forces the back to make an earlier decision while Pittsburgh’s inside pursuit closes the available space.
The job changes slightly against split zone. Green Bay can send a tight end across the formation to block the backside edge defender. Rather than avoiding that contact, Pittsburgh’s linebacker must meet it early enough to prevent a clean cutback lane.
Boot-action passes build from the same picture. Jordan Love can extend the ball toward the running back, pull it back, and move outside while the defense flows in the opposite direction. Green Bay may release the crossing tight end into the flat, giving Love a short throw with open grass ahead.
Pittsburgh cannot erase that option by charging harder. The edge player must close the space under control and force Love to make his decision before reaching the perimeter.
Watt and Highsmith Must Make Patience Violent
Watt and Highsmith do not need to become cautious players. They need to channel their aggression through the structure of the defense.
Watt can dominate an offensive tackle without immediately trying to cross his face. His hands allow him to extend the blocker, keep his vision in the backfield, and shed once the football declares. That approach affects both phases of the play.
Against the run, Watt removes the easiest path outside. Against play-action, he keeps Love from escaping the pocket untouched. The quarterback must either stop his feet or climb toward Pittsburgh’s interior rush.
Highsmith creates similar problems from the other side. His balance allows him to absorb an initial block without losing sight of the runner. When the back cuts, Highsmith can redirect without giving away the boundary.
Many of those snaps end with another defender making the tackle. That does not diminish their value. Steelers edge containment works when the outside linebacker determines where the ball must go, even if an inside linebacker receives credit for the stop.
Green Bay will test that patience by repeating similar looks. After several outside-zone handoffs, Love may keep the ball and roll away from the flow. A tight end can briefly show a block before slipping into the flat. If Watt or Highsmith follows the running back, the quarterback receives an easy completion.
The veteran rushers must make Love hesitate. A short pause gives the pursuit time to recover. It also turns a comfortable throw on the move into a more difficult pass from a crowded pocket. Pittsburgh does not need less aggression from its stars. It needs aggression aimed at the correct target.
Herbig’s First Step Must Serve the Assignment
Herbig offers Pittsburgh a different type of threat. His first-step quickness can force offensive tackles into hurried pass sets. He can cross a blocker’s face before the gap closes or chase a run down from the backside. Green Bay can exploit that speed if Herbig treats every snap like a pass-rush opportunity.
A tackle may block down and invite him inside. The offense can then send the ball toward the space he abandoned. On split zone, a tight end can use Herbig’s momentum to widen the running lane.
Love’s ball handling creates another challenge. A long ride at the mesh point may pull Herbig toward the running back before the quarterback keeps the ball. His most important preseason snaps may therefore look ordinary.
Herbig could control a tackle and send the runner toward Patrick Queen. He might stay outside against a fake and force Love to throw the ball away. Neither play would improve his sack total, but both would show that he can handle every down.
Steelers edge containment carries particular importance during Herbig’s snaps because Pittsburgh already trusts his pressure ability. Consistent run defense would allow the Steelers to use him without advertising the likely play call.
Second-year linebacker Jack Sawyer faces a similar evaluation. Sawyer brings more size to the edge and can absorb blocks from tight ends. His challenge involves diagnosing the blocking pattern before contact arrives. A late read can neutralize his strength and place him on the wrong side of the runner.
Pittsburgh’s current outside-linebacker group includes Watt, Highsmith, Herbig, Sawyer, Jamin Davis, Julius Welschof, and Jacoby Windmon. The top four combined for 25 sacks last season, which explains why Green Bay will look for ways to redirect their forward momentum.
The preseason opener should reveal which reserves can protect the perimeter without sacrificing their pass-rush identity.
Defensive Backs Must Finish the Job
Outside linebackers establish the first line of perimeter defense. Corners and safeties must complete it. Green Bay can occupy the primary edge player with a tackle or tight end, then send a receiver toward the corner. At that point, the corner becomes responsible for preventing the runner from reaching the sideline.
He cannot simply avoid the block. Running around a receiver may create a quick route toward the football, but it also leaves open space when the tackle fails. A sound corner uses his hands, maintains outside leverage, and directs the runner toward the pursuit.
Safeties face a more complicated read because Green Bay builds play-action passes from its running concepts.
The same offensive-line movement that signals outside zone can produce a crossing route behind the linebackers. A safety who attacks the run too quickly exposes that space. Waiting too long allows the runner to reach the alley with momentum. Steelers edge containment, therefore, depends on communication across all three levels.
Before the snap, Pittsburgh must identify the force defender and account for any motion that changes the formation. After the ball moves, every defender must trust the assignment rather than chase the first threat he sees. One missed tackle can hurt a defense. One misunderstood responsibility can compromise the entire structure.
Pittsburgh Must Earn Its Pass-Rush Opportunities
The preseason score will say little about Pittsburgh’s readiness. The defensive film will offer a clearer answer. Coaches will study whether Watt and Highsmith stayed square against zone action. Herbig and Sawyer must recognize crossing blocks without surrendering their base. Corners need to protect the boundary, while safeties balance run support against play-action.
The inside pursuit also matters. Queen and Pittsburgh’s other linebackers must follow the ball without overrunning the cutback. Defensive linemen need to prevent blockers from climbing freely into the second level. When each defender handles his responsibility, the offense runs out of space.
Green Bay provides a useful opening test because every part of its attack connects. The running game punishes poor leverage. Love’s boot-action passes target abandoned quarterback responsibility. Pre-snap motion exposes communication problems before the ball even moves.
Steelers edge containment will decide whether those concepts produce routine gains or allow Green Bay to control the night. Pittsburgh wants Watt, Highsmith, and Herbig attacking on third-and-long. Their speed and power can overwhelm isolated blockers once the offense loses the threat of a credible run.
First, the Steelers must earn those situations. A secure perimeter can turn second-and-five into third-and-seven. Pittsburgh can then disguise pressure, move its rushers across the front, and force Love to identify the threat after the snap.
A broken edge keeps Green Bay ahead of the chains. It also traps Pittsburgh in a cycle of defending the same horizontal conflict. That gives the Steelers edge containment value beyond the running game. Boundary discipline creates the conditions for Pittsburgh’s greatest defensive strength to take over. The task begins with controlled hands, balanced feet, and disciplined eyes.
Hold the perimeter first. Then hunt the quarterback.
READ MORE: Cardinals’ third down defense faces a crucial early test against the Panthers in Canton
FAQ’s
Why is Steelers edge containment so critical against Green Bay?
Green Bay uses pre-snap motion and wide-zone runs to stretch defenders horizontally. If Steelers rushers lose perimeter leverage, Josh Jacobs easily finds open cutback lanes for the Steelers.
How do T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith stop Green Bay’s perimeter run game?
Both rushers must lock out blockers, maintain outside leverage, and force the running back inside. They must control their gaps before chasing Jordan Love on bootlegs.
What makes Nick Herbig vulnerable to Green Bay’s offensive scheme?
Herbig possesses explosive first-step speed. However, over-pursuing inside allows Green Bay to pin him with down blocks and bounce the ball to the outside boundary.
When do the Steelers play the Packers in the 2026 preseason?
The Steelers host the Green Bay Packers at Acrisure Stadium on Thursday, August 13, 2026, to open their exhibition schedule.
I live for the roar of the crowd, the rush of a new city, and the kind of moments that turn into lifelong memories. Sports keep me energized, travel keeps me grounded, and every journey gives me a fresh story to tell.
