There was a lot of drama leading into the Eagles’ game against the Steelers on Sunday afternoon and Lane Johnson didn’t have time for any of it.
He had enough on his plate.
“All I was thinking about was T.J. Watt today,” Johnson said after the 27-13 win. “I didn’t give a s— about anything else. Get off the ball, don’t let T.J. Watt f—ing destroy the game. Because you watch that guy on the film, he’s destroying football games. Hope he’s OK. As a competitor, he’s probably one of the best I have ever played.”
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Watt ended up getting hurt late in the game but afterward said he just suffered a lower ankle injury.
The Eagles’ offense is unique because so much of what they do is predicated on leaving their two massive tackles — Johnson at right tackle and Jordan Mailata at left — on islands with little to no help.
Being on an island against Watt can be a terrifying place, but Johnson more than held his own.
“Lane gives you a lot of confidence going into the game because the rushers in the NFL don't come much better than Watt,” head coach Nick Sirianni said on Monday. “He's one of the best players in the NFL. Lane is one of the best players in the NFL.
NFL
“Any time our game gets to see two of the top players at their positions battle, I think it's always special. It’s fun to watch. It’s fun to watch as a coach. Fun to watch, I'm sure, as fans. Lane played a really outstanding game yesterday against, again, a phenomenal player. It just gives you a lot of confidence to have 65 out there week to week.”
While Watt ended up with 3 pressures and 2 sacks, neither of those sacks were charged to Johnson by ProFootballFocus. On the first one, Jalen Hurts was about to scramble when Watt chased him down for a 0-yard sack.
On the second, Johnson got Watt 12 yards deep and then Hurts tries to escape the pocket to his left instead of stepping up. Watt chased Hurts down but it’s hard to fault Johnson on this play.
TJ WATT INCOMING.
— NFL (@NFL) December 15, 2024
📺: #PITvsPHI on FOX
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In 40 snaps of pass protection on Sunday afternoon, Johnson gave up just one pressure, per PFF.
“Big shoutout to Lane Johnson, 1-on-1 on an island with one of the best defensive players in the league,” Saquon Barkley said. “You can argue he is the best defensive player in the league. There’s not a lot of guys in this league that’s lining up 1-on-1, no help, and doing that job.”
With his two sacks, Watt now has 11 1/2 on the season. This is his sixth season with double digit sacks and he’s well on his way to a seventh Pro Bowl nod.
Watt is a future Hall of Famer and the Eagles felt confident leaving Johnson on an island against him for most of the game. Heck, Johnson is so good that it actually seems to hurt him when the Eagles leave a tight end in to help.
“He’s probably the best player I’ve gone against,” Johnson said of Watt. ”His production is up there every year. I think his effort, his arsenal of moves. I think he’s probably one of the most intelligent football players I’ve gone up against. I would say that. He’s unbelievable.”
Johnson is pretty unbelievable too. He’s 34 now and is still playing at an incredibly high level with a chance to be named to his sixth Pro Bowl team this season. It might be tough for Johnson to wrestle back first-team All-Pro from Penei Sewell but there’s no question Johnson is still one of the best tackles in the NFL, even in his 12th NFL season.
PFF ranks Johnson as the 7th-best offensive tackle in the NFL, tied with 49ers left tackle Trent Williams. Mailata, by the way, is still ranked No. 1.
But Mailata still feels like he’s chasing Johnson’s greatness.
“That’s my player of the match right there,” Mailata said. “Knowing that he had no help, that’s my player of the match. He’s a hell of a player. Like I said, I tell you guys all the time, that’s the best O-lineman in the league by far. No one comes close. That’s why I say chasing greatness is a big thing for me. I’m very privileged to have him on my team. Because chasing him makes me a better person.”
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