Things might not have ended up the way that many wanted on Sunday Night Football between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Dallas Cowboys at Acrisure Stadium as the Cowboys took the lead on a 4th-and-goal touchdown with 20 seconds left, leading to a 20-17 win.
It was a frustrating loss, but within the loss some positive things transpired.
That includes star pass rusher T.J. Watt reaching the century mark in sacks, doing so in the first half, racing home to get to Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, knocking the ball loose in the process. The sack gave Watt No. 100 and made him the second-fastest player in NFL history to reach the century mark, behind only Hall of Famer Reggie White.
For Steelers star defensive lineman Cameron Heyward, it was a special moment. He’s had the chance to be on the field during a number of special moments for Watt over the years but seeing the pass rusher do that on Sunday night in primetime was great.
Appearing on the latest episode of his “Not Just Football with Cam Heyward” podcast, Heyward gave Watt one of his three game balls of the week.
“I gotta give to my guy T.J. Watt for reaching a hundred sacks, second-fastest only to Reggie White, the greatest d-lineman of all time. and when I think about this, man, T.J., he skyrocketed up there,” Heyward said, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “We’ve needed every one of his sacks. The way he prepares, the way he goes about his business, it’s not surprising that he did that.
“I think he’s got a chance to keep climbing and keep moving up the rankings.”
Watt later added another sack in the game, giving him 101 for his career entering Week 6 against the Las Vegas Raiders. Cracking the century mark is a huge deal as it helps solidify his case for the Hall of Fame, to which he is well on his way to gaining entrance.
He now has 4.5 sacks on the season and continues to make a case for the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year award as he has at least one sack in every game this season outside of Week 4 against the Indianapolis Colts.
Being mentioned in the same breath as a player like Reggie White is rather remarkable, and to consider the fact that Watt reached 100 sacks faster than all-time defensive greats like his older brother, J.J. Watt, Lawrence Taylor, Bruce Smith and more is just mind-blowing.
That’s how great Watt has been, and how consistent he is week after week.
For Heyward, none of the success is a surprise whatsoever. He’s been like this since he entered the league in 2017 out of Wisconsin.
“I think his level of understanding when he came into this game, a lot of guys, they don’t understand scheme. They don’t understand what to look for,” Heyward said of Watt. “T.J. comes in with a plan, and he was ready to execute pretty early on.”
It helps that he comes from the lineage he does, and having a Hall of Fame older brother like J.J. to lean on and learn from certainly helped speed up his development. But there is no substitute for hard work and preparation, and Watt has that in abundance.
He’s a self-made guy, having switched from tight end to outside linebacker in college. That move paid off – and then some. He’s one of the best ever, and he still has plenty of football ahead of him.
Here’s hoping for another 100 sacks.
