T.J. Watt isn’t putting up the monster numbers he’s accustomed to. Part of that stems from the constant attention he sees from opposing offenses. Quantified and updated by Pro Football Focus, Watt again leads the NFL in “chip rate,” a new 2024 data point to correct PFF’s past mistake of not including chips in its double-team numbers.
Through Week 14, Watt easily leads the league in how often he’s been chipped by a running back or tight end. It’s happened 32.7 percent of the time. The next-closest is Cleveland Browns DE Myles Garrett at 26.2 percent followed by Dallas Cowboys EDGE Micah Parsons 18.3 percent.
In aggregate, Watt has been chipped 146 times this season. That’s more than Garrett and Parsons combined, 145 times between them, though Parsons missed multiple games with injury. Other notable names at the top of the list are Las Vegas Raiders DE Maxx Crosby at 17.0 percent and Chicago Bears EDGE Darrell Taylor at 16.2 percent.
Here’s the Steelers’ top-three rates.
Steelers’ Highest Chip Rates
1. T.J. Watt: 32.7-percent (No. 1 overall)
2. Nick Herbig: 14.6-percent (No. 12 overall)
3. Alex Highsmith: 12.6-percent (No. 27 overall)
None of this comes as a surprise with Watt. Teams have been using extra people to slow him down for years. While he doesn’t always see true double-teams, tight ends often chip him before releasing into their route to slow Watt down and give the tackle time to get into his pass set. Less frequently, running backs do the same.
That was shown in last night’s Hard Knocks. Cleveland Browns’ head coach Kevin Stefanski outlined the team’s game plan to chip and slow Watt down, running clips of other teams effectively doing it throughout the year.
While it makes it harder for Watt to pressure the quarterback, the Steelers’ defense still has advantages. The chips create fewer options in the pattern for the quarterback to throw to and Watt’s attention creates one-on-one chances for the rest of the rush to get home. Just in the way an elite receiver demanding double-teams creates isolated matchups everywhere else.
Watt may not reach the 20-sack figure he’s hit before but his 9.5 sacks are nothing to scoff at. He ranks tied for seventh in sacks and only three back of leader, the Cincinnati Bengals’ Trey Hendrickson. A man being chipped far less often at just 12.6-percent, the same as Highsmith. Here’s the chip rates for the top-10 sack leaders.
1. Trey Hendrickson: 12.6-percent
2. Myles Garrett: 26.2-percent
3. Nik Bonitto: 12.5-percent
4. Danielle Hunter: 12.6-percent
5. Jonathan Greenard: 9.7-percent
6. Will McDonald: 10.9-percent
7. T.J. Watt: 32.7-percent
8. Will Anderson: 10.1-percent
9. Andrew Van Ginkel: 12.2-percent
NT Dexter Lawrence still sits in the top ten but as an interior linemen, isn’t chipped the way EDGE players are. Hence only nine on this list. Clearly, Watt sits well above anyone else and triple much of this list. Besides Watt and Garrett, every other player on this list sits under 13-percent.
It’s an important data point to show Watt’s success despite being the league’s biggest defensive focal point. And something to be considered when it comes to DPOY voting that is likely to come down to choosing Watt or Garrett to win their second award.
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