While many Pittsburgh Steelers fans think Pro Football Focus has an axe to grind with EDGE T.J. Watt, they correctly gave him an elite score for his dominant performance to open the 2024 season. Watt led all Steelers with a 95.3 overall grade, easily the best mark of any player on either side of the ball in Sunday’s win over the Atlanta Falcons.
On offense, QB Justin Fields earned the top mark with a 75.9, edging out RG James Daniels.
In fact, Watt’s PFF score leads all defensive players heading into Monday Night Football to close out Week 1. Watt finished the game with 4 tackles (2 for a loss) with 3 QB hits and a fumble recovery. His box score could’ve been even better had penalties, including a controversial offsides call, not wiped out 2 more sacks, forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery.
Watt’s pass rush grade was second-best in the NFL this weekend, only narrowly trailing Detroit Lions’ DE Aidan Hutchinson. Cleveland Browns DE Myles Garrett finished with the third-highest pass rush grade. But neither of them had the well-rounded marks that Watt did, as tough against the run as he was rushing the passer.
It’s worth noting DL Cam Heyward scored a top-15 defensive grade across the NFL, his first game truly healthy after battling his groin injury that cost him half his 2023 season. Heyward didn’t show up in a big way on the traditional box score, finishing with 4 tackles, but his run defense nearly cracked the top-10.
Fields’ overall grade was eighth-best among quarterbacks this weekend. While it might seem like what he did as a runner helped him most, he actually received far better passing marks than rushing ones. As a passer, he posted the fifth-best grade. Over his career, it was the sixth-best passing grade Fields has ever put up. He finished the game with an efficient 17-of-23 for 156 yards, no touchdowns or interceptions.
Fields played within the scheme, hitting short throws to keep the offense on schedule and peppering WR George Pickens with downfield targets, one of which was wiped out by a weak offensive pass interference call to negate a 36-yard pickup. Fields utilized his best traits — his arm strength, his deep ball accuracy and his legs — to get the win.
Along the offensive line, OG James Daniels and OT Dan Moore Jr. had the team’s highest marks. Moore graded out as one of the best pass blockers of any offensive linemen this week, third in the NFL only behind former first round picks Andrew Thomas and Rashawn Slater. OT Broderick Jones graded as the worst lineman and a bottom-20 grade across all tackles, centers and guards.
Kicker Chris Boswell easily had the best field goal grade at 90.3. It’s the best single-game mark of his career and well-earned after he connected three times from 50-plus yards, including a 57-yarder for Pittsburgh’s first points of the year.
