Pittsburgh Steelers OLB T.J. Watt only recorded one sack last night, but it was pretty significant, all the same. It put him past 81 for his career, which is now the most in franchise history. He entered the night tied with James Harrison at 80.5 sacks for the most ever recorded by a Steeler. And this time it came in a win, so he gets to feel it—when it sinks in, at least.
“I’d be lying to you if I said it wasn’t special”, he told reporters after the game, via the team’s website. “It hasn’t set in. I don’t know if it will until I have time to really sit down and process what just happened tonight. There are so many people that have helped me get to where I am”.
Recording three sacks in the opener, Watt already has four on the season and two forced fumbles. He also returned a recovered fumble for a touchdown last night, the first score of his career, so another box checked off in his Hall of Fame career.
Yet while he gets the accolades and the praise, he is consistently the first one to pass along the credit for his own achievements. He spent time last night giving Harrison himself a shoutout for working with him during his rookie season.
“Deebo himself helped me so much my rookie year. He didn’t have to. Nobody asked him to, but he wanted to help me, and I appreciate him for that”, he said, noting he was just one of many people who helped him reach the level he’s achieved. “So many of my teammates, coaches, mentors, my brothers, my wife’s support, my parents. There’s just so many people that go into it. It’s not just myself out there making the plays. I can’t take all the credit”.
But he certainly deserves some of the credit, I suppose, for his 81.5 career sacks, his 91 tackles for loss, his 25 forced fumbles, his six interceptions. He deserves some share in the sense of achievement for his five consecutive Pro Bowls, his three All-Pros, his Defensive Player of the Year Award—with perhaps another one on the way.
And he hasn’t even played the number of games that is on his jersey yet. Last night was game 89. He wears number 90, in case you forgot. Harrison played 177 games as a Steeler, including 107 starts. Between 2007 and 2016, the meat of his career, he recorded 75.5 sacks in 99 starts as a member of the Steelers, 127 games played during that time.
That’s just to give you some perspective on the remarkable nature of Watt’s own achievements. While he still has a long way to go, only Reggie White has reached 80-plus sacks as quickly. White recorded 98 sacks in his first 90 games. With one game left to go, Watt is second on that list with 81.5. I don’t think he’s going to catch White next week, but that’s one guy you don’t complain about being second best to.
And he’s still 28 years old. He could play another 90 games and record another 80-plus sacks.
