Steelers Superstar Just Hit A Huge Milestone
In a disgusting week five loss against the Cowboys, TJ Watt has become the first player in Steelers' history to reach 100 career sacks. Watt is already the franchise leader in sacks and he’s finally hit triple digits. He’s still chasing his legendary older brother JJ Watt who had 114.5 career sacks, but that one will have to wait.
Watt is now the 44th player in NFL history to hit the 100-sack plateau and joins some legends in that club. Two weeks ago, Tony Romo referred to him as the modern-day Lawrence Taylor. Romo knows what he’s talking about sometimes. Now, Watt gets to sit at a legendary table with the Hall of Famer amongst many others, including his brother who will be a first-ballot guy. How did TJ Watt get here? This is what the journey looked like.
Success Came Early
The journey started on September 10th, 2017 in Watt’s NFL debut against division rival Cleveland. Unfortunately for fellow rookie DeShone Kizer, Watt was able to get two sacks in his first taste of NFL action. The Steelers won that game in Cleveland 21-18. Watt went on to get seven sacks in his rookie season.
In 2018, Watt had two games where he got three sacks. He did it to the Browns in week one and the Falcons in week five. He improved on his total, reaching 13 sacks in his second season. That put him up to 20 total over two seasons. On pace for greatness. Then Watt started to step it up. In 2019, he finished the season with 14.5 sacks and only had three games where he couldn’t get one.
Turning the page to 2020, Watt operated much the same. He finished that season with 15 sacks and had only four games without one. There is an argument that he could’ve won the Defensive Player of the Year if not for Aaron Donald’s greatness. A recurring theme of his career so far is getting robbed.
Steelers Star Hits A New Level
2021 was when Watt hit an entirely different level. He missed two games on the season and still found a way to tie Michael Strahan’s single-season sack record of 22.5 sacks. Steelers fans know that he should’ve had 23.5 but didn’t get credited with one that he got. Watt won the Defensive Player of the Year award and it was much deserved. His four-sack game in week 17 against Cleveland helped him lock it up. He was undeniable.
Following the Defensive Player of the Year season, an injury in week one of 2022 sidelined Watt and forced him to play just ten games and way below 100%. He only got five and a half sacks. Last season, Watt finished the year with a league-leading 19 sacks but was somehow robbed of the Defensive Player of the Year award. Watt led the NFL in every defensive statistic but had nothing to show for it.
Watt is off to another great start in the 2024 season. Through five games, he has 4.5 sacks, six tackles for loss, and 20 total tackles. Now he’s up over 100 career sacks and hunting the DPOY award this season. The Steelers superstar has led the NFL in sacks three times in his career. 2020, 2021, and 2023. Ask him, and he'd say he would trade it all for a chance to play for a Lombardi Trophy.
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