The Steelers are now back at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, facing down a long regular season that looks a lot more promising given how things have gone leading up to it. Finishing just above .500 last year, they anticipate being able to compete with any team in the league this season with second-year QB Kenny Pickett leading the way.
They’ve done a great deal to address what they identified as their shortcomings during the offseason, which included addressing the offensive and defensive lines as well as the secondary and the inside linebacker room, which is nearly entirely different from last year. The results have been positive so far.
Even well into the regular season and beyond, there are going to be plenty of questions that need answered. When will the core rookies get to play, or even start? Is the depth sufficient where they upgraded? Can they stand toe-to-toe with the Bengals and the other top teams in the league? We’ll try to frame the conversation in relevant ways as long as you stick with us throughout the season, as we have for many years.
Question: Will T.J. Watt lead the NFL in sacks again?
Going into the final week of the season, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ T.J. Watt is tied for the most sacks in the NFL. His 17 takedowns through 16 games—which is more than anyone other than himself has recorded in a single season in team history—tie him with the Cincinnati Bengals’ Trey Hendrickson, but a number of players are within striking distance.
The Jacksonville Jaguars’ Josh Allen, for example, has 16.5, and Khalil Mack has 16 for the Los Angeles Chargers. Danielle Hunter of the Minnesota Vikings with 15.5 is the only other player within three sacks. The Cleveland Browns’ Myles Garrett has 14, and the Las Vegas Raiders’ Maxx Crosby has 13.5, while Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys and Justin Madubuike of the Baltimore Ravens each have 13.
We can reasonably deduce that the NFL sack leader for 2023 will come from that group. Watt has led the league in sacks twice already, in 2020 with 15 and then in 2021 with 22.5, which tied an NFL single-season record. He played almost all of the 2022 season injured, apart from the seven games that he did miss.
Already one of a relative handful of players throughout NFL history to lead the league in sacks multiple times, Watt would become the first if he can manage to make it three. He is also one of only 11 players to record 17-plus sacks in a season multiple times. The only players who have done it three times are Reggie White and his older brother, J.J., a feat he can achieve in 2024. If he wants to join his brother as only the second player to top 20-plus sacks multiple times, he will need to get three more in the finale. He has recorded three or more sacks in a game six times before, including this season in the opener.
