At this point in his career, it’s no secret that Pittsburgh Steelers’ star outside linebacker T.J. Watt is one of the best — if not the best — defenders in the NFL. Denver Head Coach Sean Payton agrees.
Watt proved that again in Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons, wrecking the game from start to finish, even with some calls from officials going against him.
Now, entering Week 2 against the Denver Broncos, Watt has a chance to wreck another game, this time against a rookie quarterback behind a relatively shaky offensive line.
Broncos head coach Sean Payton, who spoke to reporters Wednesday, knows just how great Watt is and credited him with being an “exceptionally smart” player.
“Yeah, he’s, listen…I don’t get into naming who the top defensive players are, but he’s in that discussion,” Payton said when asked of the challenge of planning against Watt, according to video via the Broncos’ Twitter page.“He’s certainly disruptive in the run game, disruptive in the passing game. Each film you look at, he’s beating doubles. He very athletic.
“I think he’s very strong, and he can bend, and those are all good traits to have. He’s exceptionally smart.”
Last week, Falcons’ head coach Raheem Morris tried to take a matter-of-fact approach when discussing Watt ahead of the season opener, stating to reporters he had a plan and wasn’t going to let Watt wreck the game inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
It’s well-known how that turned out. Watt was a force and should have had an even bigger day if not for some bad calls that negated two strip-sacks, one of which he recovered himself.
In the end, Watt got the last laugh against the Falcons (and the officials) by sacking Atlanta’s Kirk Cousins on the game’s final snap, sealing the 18-10 win.
Now, he’s set for another road trip to Denver to take on Sean Payton and the Broncos with a chance to add rookie quarterback Bo Nix to his sack ledger.
As Payton stated, Watt does it all. He’s a good run defender and an exceptional pass rusher. His high football IQ allows him to be one step ahead of opposing offenses, and he brings a great deal of athleticism to the table. He’s a smart player, one who uses his smarts and his physical traits and gets the best out of himself weekly.
It’ll be quite interesting to see how Watt tries to outsmart Sean Payton and Denver right tackle Mike McGlinchey on Sunday in an effort to wreck another game.
