Back in 2021, OLB T.J. Watt tied the single-season sack record, posting 22.5 sacks to stand alongside HOF DE Michael Strahan at the top of NFL history when it comes to quarterback takedowns.
Two games into 2023, Watt is looking like he may claim the top spot all to himself.
T.J. Watt’s oldest brother, J.J. Watt, appeared as a guest on The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday and talked about Pittsburgh’s exciting game against the Cleveland Browns on Monday night as well as T.J.’s fast start to the 2023 season. McAfee asked J.J. Watt if T.J. will break the single-season sack record this season, to which J.J. responded that his little brother looks primed to stamp himself in the record books if he keeps up the pace he is on.
“I mean, the way he’s playing right now, man, he’s on a different level,” Watt said on The Pat McAfee Show. “He’s been on a different level for a long time, but he’s playing light’s out right now. I really think he’s got a shot to do it.”
T.J. Watt has four sacks through two games as well as three tackles for loss, nine quarterback hits, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery for a touchdown, and two pass deflections. He has been a one-man wrecking crew who has benefitted from fellow OLB Alex Highsmith playing on the opposite side. Both edge rushers have been dominating opposing offenses, becoming quite the dynamic duo from a pass-rush perspective.
Highsmith’s emergence only helps Watt in his quest to reach the sack record as teams will have to focus on both pass rushers rather than just Watt. Through two games, Watt is on-pace for 34 sacks, which isn’t going to happen. However, Watt is capable of logging multi-sack games any given week as we saw against the San Francisco 49ers. He got to the quarterback three separate times despite the Steelers getting blown out for most of the contest.
Having the offense play better would help Watt’s chances at the record, allowing the defense to play with a lead and tee off on the quarterback with more obvious passing situations late in games. Along with the offense improving, Watt must stay healthy. He missed time last season with an injured pec and would likely have broken the sack record in 2021 had he not missed two games with various injuries.
Health and the competitive state of the team will be key determinants to whether Watt can break the single-season sack record in 2023, but he’s more than capable of doing so. J.J. Watt got close with 20.5 sacks in two separate seasons (2012 and 2014) but never reached the mark that his brother has. Regardless, J.J. is excited for T.J. and appears confident in his younger brother’s ability to get the job done and claim the top spot in NFL history.
