T.J. Watt is now the third-fastest player in (official) NFL history to reach 75 career sacks, surpassing that mark in Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers. It took him just 84 games to reach that mark; the only players to ever get there quicker were Reggie White (65) and older brother J.J. Watt (83).
The Watt brothers now hold two of the top three spots in NFL history only behind White’s absurdly low number.
Watt picked up the sack late in the first half, beating RT Taylor Moton to sack Sam Darnold on 3rd down, forcing a Panthers’ punt. Watt now has 3.5 sacks on the season. Here’s a look at the moment.
Had it not been for a pec injury that sidelined him for the first half of the season, Watt would’ve easily grabbed second place. Despite the milestone, it’s been a difficult season for Watt, dealing with that partially torn pec and more recently, battling a rib injury suffered in the team’s win over the Indianapolis Colts.
The Steelers first round pick in 2017, Watt has still had an incredible career. He led the league in sacks in 2020 (15) and tied the official single-season record last season with 22.5, the latter netting him the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award. Since sacks were officially recognized in 1982, the only other player to ever do that was Michael Strahan.
Watt is closing in on the Steelers’ franchise mark set by James Harrison’s 80.5. Had it not been for the injury, Watt would’ve gotten there by the team’s bye week. Now, he’ll try to get on a hot streak and challenge the mark by the end of the season. If he can’t do it in 2022, he’ll easily pass it by in 2023.
