Pittsburgh Steelers OLB T.J. Watt put together an impressive performance against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1. Watt helped wreck the game, holding the Falcons scoreless in the second half and continually putting Kirk Cousins under pressure. On Good Morning Football on Monday, panelist Kyle Brandt said that Sunday may have been Watt’s best game.
“T.J. Watt’s the best player in the universe. He’s the best player in the galaxy. I feel like yesterday might have been the most dominant game T.J. ‘s played in his career,” Brandt said. “The stats aren’t all there because he had a couple huge plays taken away from penalties.”
He then gave an impassioned plea for people to “not mess this up” and said that Watt is “always” the Defensive Player of the Year.
“He was by far the best player in the building. I think he was the best player in the NFL yesterday, other than maybe his kicker Chris Boswell, who kicked six field goals. But guys, let’s not mess this up this year,” Brandt said. “He’s the Defensive Player of the Year, I’m saying it Week 1, let’s not mess around with Micah Parsons or Myles Garrett or Maxx Crosby. It’s T.J. Watt. It’s always T.J. Watt. It was T.J. Watt last year. It’s gonna be T.J. Watt next year. It’s T.J. Watt. Stop messing it up, idiots.”
Watt was snubbed for Defensive Player of the Year last year despite leading the league in sacks, with the nod going to Garrett. This season, NFL personnel put Garrett, Parsons and Nick Bosa ahead of Watt when it came to picking the Defensive Player of the Year ahead of the season. Brandt, like Steelers fans, has had enough of it.
Watt is the only player to lead the league in sacks three separate times since they became an official statistic, and every single week he finds a way to make a massive impact on the game. Sunday, it was a sack and a fumble recovery along with three quarterback hits, his pressure forcing Kirk Cousins into a few bad throws. He’s the best defensive player in the league, the most consistent defensive player in the league, and it’s time he finally gets recognized beyond just his one Defensive Player of the Year trophy.
If it weren’t for an incorrect offsides penalty, Watt would’ve ended up with two sacks, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble. In Week 1. It was a great start to the season with the Steelers getting the win, and Watt playing his tail off and leading the charge defensively to hold Atlanta to just 10 points.
It looks like he’s in store for another big season.
