Maybe the most surprising part of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ loss in Week 4 was the lack of impact from T.J. Watt. Watt ended the day with just two tackles, not recording a sack or a hit on the quarterback. Part of that is probably because the Indianapolis Colts were running the ball well and QB Joe Flacco was delivering the ball quickly, but it’s still shocking, nonetheless. Steve Palazzolo of The 33rd Team believes Watt had a day that would be more common out of Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns.
“Held T.J. Watt to just two pressures,” Palazzolo said Monday on his Check the Mic podcast. “Had a bunch of other quick wins. It was a Myles Garrett-ish type of game for T.J. Watt. Lot of quick wins, but no sacks in this one.”
That might come off as an insult to some fans. Garrett and Watt have often been compared to each other. They’re both elite pass rushers who play in the AFC North and were drafted in 2017. However, they play different styles, as Palazzolo notes.
Garrett won the award for Defensive Player of the Year in 2023, even though Watt led the league in sacks. The reason why was because Garrett was better in more advanced statistical categories, such as pressures and pass-rush win rate. Those don’t always end in sacks, so they feel less tangible. That results in Steelers fans being upset that people believe Garrett is better than Watt.
The game against the Colts was not one of Watt’s finest outings. It wasn’t like he was getting dominated, but the Colts said they had a game plan for him. Credit to them because it worked. It’s likely not a performance Watt is proud of, especially with the way the Colts took it to the Steelers.
Saying Watt had a game like Garrett shouldn’t be viewed as an insult though. They’re both incredible players, and it just goes to show how they can influence a game in different ways. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Watt probably doesn’t want to have too many more days like Garrett, though, if that’s what they look like. Watt had been dominant so far this year, and he’s probably going to want to have a bigger impact for the Steelers in Week 5.
