Patrick Mahomes Kansas City Chiefs quarterback may have received his second career Associated Press Most Valuable Player last season, but, no player was more valuable to his team than T.J. Watt the Steelers pass rusher.
The Pittsburgh Steelers permitted the lowest total yards per game (272.9) in the NFL from Weeks 10-18 after Watt came back from a torn pectoral and knee injury – more than 100 yards less than the Steelers allowed without him, according to reports from NFL Research.
Does a healthy Watt make Pittsburgh one of the best defenses in the NFL? An in-depth look into the numbers provided by NFL Research gives an emphatic yes.
Last year, the Steelers rallied down the stretch for a 9-8 record, preserving their playoff hopes until Week 18. There were a lot of reasons for their emergence, but Watt’s presence was the biggest.
In his absence in 2022, Pittsburgh was a dismal 1-6. With Watt in 2022, Pittsburgh was a sterling 8-2.
The Steelers led by Watt permitted only 16.9 per game and 288.8 total yards, posting 32 sacks and 18 takeaways in 10 games. The Watt-less Steelers allowed 25.3 points a match, 389.9myards and tallied only 8 sacks and 5 takeaways in 7 contests.
Only Patrick Queen, linebacker of the Ravens and Watt (5.5 sacks, eight tackles for loss, 12 QB hits, two interceptions and a forced fumble) had five-plus sacks, multiple picks and a forced fumble in 2022. And this was just within 10 weeks of playing time.
Watt’s showing a season ago was only a sample size of what he has been up to for a six-year career where he made five Pro Bowls, three All-Pro squads and get 2021 Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year.
Simply put, Watt is off to have one of the biggest starts for a pass rusher in NFL history.
Since 2017 when he made his debut as a rookie first-rounder, he has led the NFL in sacks (77.5), plus a record-tying 22.5 in 2021, QB hits (162) and forced fumbles (23), per NFL Research. T.J.’s averaging 0.89 sacks per game in his career which is the highest in league history (minimum 50 games).
Those 77.5 sacks not just put him in a Hall of Fame trajectory, but makes him a shoo-in for the third player in NFL chronicle to notch 100 career sacks before his 30th birthday. Watt does not hit the big 3-oh until October 11, 2024, and by then, he might have reached the air importance gotten only by Hall of Famer Reggie White and Jared Allen.
It comes as no surprise that the Steelers are better with Watt in the lineup, but just how massive his impact is is unbelievable. He makes a difference indeed.
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