This week, the Pittsburgh Steelers are set to play the Green Bay Packers. That figures to be a tough battle, with the Packers sitting at 4-1-1 and being one of the best teams in the league. Part of their success has been due to new edge rusher Micah Parsons. The Packers acquired Parsons in a trade with the Dallas Cowboys shortly before the season began. He’s one of the best edge rushers in the league, and Mike Tomlin confirmed that the Steelers will place extra focus on Parsons in their game plan.
“Most certainly,” Tomlin said Tuesday via the team’s YouTube channel. “I think his paycheck indicates so.”
The Cowboys traded Parsons because he was due for a contract extension, and they were unwilling to pay him. The Packers weren’t, though. They made Parsons the highest paid non-quarterback in the league, giving him a four-year $188 million deal. That surpassed T.J. Watt, who was previously the highest paid non-quarterback.
Parsons being a similar type of game wrecker as Watt speaks to how much attention should be devoted to him. He’s up to 5.5 sacks on the year, including a three-sack performance in the Packers’ latest game. If allowed, Parsons can totally take over games.
However, the Steelers have experience facing elite pass rushers. Just a few weeks ago, they played against Myles Garrett, who is also one of the best edge rushers in the league. Against the Steelers, he basically had no impact. They had to game plan around Garrett, and their strategy was effective.
That doesn’t mean the Steelers can copy and paste what they did against Garrett and apply it to Parsons, though. During that same press conference, Tomlin made it clear that the Steelers’ plan could be similar, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will be.
“It can be, but certainly, they’re two different people in terms of what makes them great and how they get to the quarterback. But how they’re deployed, the distribution of rushers, number of rushers, both groups play behind their four-man rush.
“Both guys are edge players. Both guys are capable of moving around to either side. The same could be said about any of the elite rushers. Maxx Crosby in Vegas, for example. They play behind their four-man rush. He moves around some. I just think that’s what you do when you have elite players like those guys.”
Tomlin makes a good point. While Parsons and Garrett are both some of the league’s top pass rushers, they aren’t the same player. Just as well, the Packers are different compared to the Cleveland Browns. There are other variables that will influence how the Steelers approach this game.
Despite that, Parsons will still be on the forefront of their minds. The Steelers have seen Watt completely change games for them. They don’t want to be on the other end of that exchange.
