For just the third time in his career, and just the first time since the 2021 season, Pittsburgh Steelers’ star outside linebacker T.J. Watt will square off against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, this time on the road at Lumen Field in the Great Northwest.
In his two previous games against the Seahawks, Watt has 13 tackles and 3.0 sacks, including two sacks in the 2021 win over Seattle at then-Heinz Field.
It’s well-known just how good — and dangerous — Watt is. That has Seattle Seahawks’ head coach Pete Carroll placing a major emphasis on the Steelers’ star pass rusher entering Sunday’s Week 17 matchup.
Appearing on KIRO News Radio with Seahawks announcer Steve Raible, Carroll had some high praise for Watt ahead of the matchup and stated that second-year Seattle right tackle Abraham Lucas is going to need to have a heck of a game to slow down the Defensive Player of the Year candidate.
“He really brings it. He has a great outside rush that, of his 17 sacks, probably 11 of them are on the exact same move. And so, he’s really gifted,” Carroll said of Watt, according to audio via KIRO News Radio. “He’s got a great motor, and he’s made perfectly to be a pass rusher. So we’ve got issues, so we have to take care of him every chance that we can.
“When we throw the football, we have something going to take care of him as best we can. And he’s gonna be over there on Abe [Abraham Lucas], and Abe’s gonna have to have a heck of a game to make this come through.”
Watt does have a great outside rush, one that he wins with consistently. That’s not any groundbreaking information that is being revealed, either.
That consistency from Watt shows week after week, year after year. In fact, he’s on pace to do something no other player in NFL history has ever done before him: lead the NFL in sacks three years in a row. That’s quite the feat.Â
He’s a very gifted pass rusher, one that has great hand usage and elite-level athleticism to dip and bend around the edge without losing speed. He’s remarkably flexible, too, which gives offensive linemen fits.
The Seahawks might have a plan for him on Sunday, but plans largely go out the window when the action becomes real, and the defender on the other side is unpredictable. Lucas will have his hands full, without a doubt. He’s struggled in his return to the lineup, too, allowing a sack in two of his last three games, and allowing 13 pressures in his last four games.
Now, he’ll have to deal with arguably the best pass rusher in the game in Watt. He’s going to bring it again and again on Sunday.
