Even on a day in which he wasn’t getting pressure on the quarterback, Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt was a game-wrecker.
Watt had two forced fumbles in the blowout win over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 6, including one at the goal line on running back Ameer Abdullah, which changed the game for the Black and Gold.
For Steelers defensive end and fellow team captain Cameron Heyward, what Watt did Sunday against the Raiders wasn’t surprising, considering the work he puts in throughout the week to be as prepared as possible to make game-changing plays.
“Well, you know, he had two [forced fumbles] this past week and I have it in here as my game ball. But I like to say, he’s causing problems, but he’s feeding families at the same time. And so, we are very thankful that that dude has an agenda of punching the ball loose,” Heyward said of Watt and his forced fumbles, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “And every time he is out there, he is trying to get a piece of it, and it’s a trick of the trade.
“We practice it every week, but to go out there and have success like he’s having, man, that does wonders for us. So, kudos to him, but we’re gonna need some more here from here on out.”
Watt has always been a menace defensively, whether it was getting home to the quarterback for sacks, which often resulted in strips, jumping into passing lanes and breaking up passes, or making absurd interceptions. He’s always been able to punch the football out, too, like he did last Sunday against the Raiders.
It’s a skill he developed at Wisconsin, thanks to a connection to former Chicago Bears great Charles Tillman, and it’s one he has continued to work on, hone and unleash in big spots. He’s always punching at the football, so to get two out in the same game and have the impact that they did is remarkable.
The fact that he did it on a day in which he wasn’t much of a factor rushing the passer is even more impressive.
That alone is what makes Watt so special, Heyward believes.
“When you look at what T.J. does, it’s not just play the pass. It’s about being a complete player. I know a lot of these guys, they just wanna rush their passer and they don’t give a damn about the run. He’s a complete player,” Heyward said. “And I think we have to start judging people or players, especially in the front, if they can do both. Not if they can do one because I think we’re limiting the way we judge players and we’re not holding ’em to the esteem of our history. You know, you look back and you talk about…Reggie White, or you talk about Joe Greene, or you talk about J.J. Watt, you know, the great guys, Aaron Donald, it wasn’t just playing pass and then just taking plays off in the run.
“T.J.’s on that level where play in and play out, you have to be accountable for him, and you just see it. And I’m glad people are recognizing he’s not just a pass rusher out here.”
While Watt gets a lot of accolades and plenty of attention for his ability to get to the passer, too often his ability as a run defender, where he is largely an eraser against the run, gets overlooked.
His performance last Sunday was a good reminder of just how good he is playing the run. Watt finished with five tackles and two tackles for loss, forcing the Raiders to largely run away from him when they could. That played perfectly into the hands of the defense, leading to a dominant performance.
Check out the full episode of “Not Just Football with Cameron Heyward” below.
