Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay knows a thing or two about a game-wrecking defensive presence who is a future Hall of Famer and one of the best defensive players in the game — if not the best.
Since taking over as head coach of the Rams in 2017, McVay has seen daily just how great defensive tackle Aaron Donald is. Now, he’ll have to deal with Pittsburgh Steelers star outside linebacker T.J. Watt in Week Seven with Watt and the Steelers coming off of a bye week and well rested.
Appearing on the Mason & Ireland Show on ESPN Los Angeles Radio Wednesday, McVay called Watt a “nightmare” to deal with, and that the Rams have to know where Watt is at all times.
“You have to account for him every play … Everything that T.J. [Watt] has gotten as far as the recognition and his flowers is all very-well deserved based on what he puts on tape and his body of work, week in and week out,” McVay said, according to video via the ESPN LA YouTube page. “He’s played one less game than most people in this league, and he’s still up there in the way he’s affecting the quarterback.
“I think he’s got eight sacks. He’s a nightmare…”
Watt certainly is a nightmare for opposing offenses, especially this season.
In the first five games of the season, Watt has a league-leading 8.0 sacks, putting him on pace for 27 sacks on the year. That mark, should he reach it, would shatter the single-season sacks record that he and Hall of Famer Michael Strahan hold together with 22.5.
Watt is just two seasons removed from winning the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year award in 2021, but somehow this season he’s taken his game to another level. Watt has played 299 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus, and grades out at a 91.6 overall, which is the fourth-highest grade among EDGE rushers in the NFL behind San Francisco’s Nick Bosa, Dallas’ DeMarcus Lawrence, and Cleveland’s Myles Garrett.
The star outside linebacker also has 27 total pressures on the season, which has him tied for seventh in the NFL despite missing a game. He’s a game-wrecker, and McVay and the Rams’ offense know that they need to be aware of him at all times.
Los Angeles has had issues this season at times with some high-end pass rushers.
Nick Bosa graded out with a season-high 93.0 in Week Two against the Rams, generating five pressures, while Philadelphia’s Hassan Reddick recorded two sacks against the Rams in Week Five, effectively sealing the game for the Eagles late with his pass-rush abilities.
Opportunities will be there for Watt on Sunday. Hopefully he can — again — make himself as the nightmare become a reality for the Rams’ offense, McVay and quarterback Matthew Stafford.
