It’s truly hard to fathom what Pittsburgh Steelers’ star outside linebacker T.J. Watt did on the final two defensive snaps of overtime on Sunday night at Heinz Field against the Seattle Seahawks.
Watt sacked Seahawks’ quarterback Geno Smith on third down on the opening possession of the extra session, and then following a Steelers’ punt, strip sacked Smith on first down, leading to a Devin Bush recovery and eventual 37-yard game-winning field goal from Chris Boswell, helping the Steelers improve to 3-3 on the season.
Week after week, Watt never fails to impress. As Mike Tomlin once said, Watt is from another planet.
Defensive captain Cameron Heyward echoed those comments after Sunday night’s dramatic win, calling Watt a “rare breed” during his media availability, according to Steelers.com.
“No, he’s one of the best defensive players in the game,” Heyward said to reporters. “You know, he’s the best outside linebacker. He’s the best defensive player to me. But to have a guy that, you know, can…change the game in one play, he’s a game wrecker, he’s a playmaker. He’s a rare breed and I’m glad we have him.”
Many others on the Steelers’ roster and in the front office, along with nearly every member of Steelers Nation would agree with Heyward’s assessment of his All-Pro teammate, who also happens to be the league’s highest-paid defensive player.
His performance late in Sunday’s dramatic win showed that he’s worth every penny, and should garner some additional Defensive Player of the Year recognition, if we’re being honest.
Aside from Los Angeles Rams’ star Aaron Donald, there is no other defensive player that is as impactful as Watt week to week, and Sunday night was yet another example of that, this time on the national stage on NBC and Sunday Night Football.
