T.J. Watt is angry. You won’t like T.J. Watt when he’s angry. That’s the Incredible Hulk vibe former NFL running back LeSean McCoy is getting from Watt ahead of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ rematch against the Cleveland Browns Sunday. Two weeks ago, Watt had one of the quietest games of his career, finishing without a sack, QB hit, and debatably even a pressure.
This time around, McCoy expects noise.
“They gonna get more than revenge,” McCoy said on FS1’s The Facility when asked if Pittsburgh would get the win. “T.J. Watt, he heard what you said, Myles Garrett. He’s on the quarterbacks’ you-know-what. So Jameis [Winston], get your pre-game speech ready. Get your prayers, get that ready. ‘Cause T.J. Watt is coming.”
Of course, McCoy is referring to Garrett’s postgame proclamations following his three-sack performance on Nov. 21 Garrett declared himself to be No. 1, capping a week of back-and-forth discussion about Watt’s terse response to losing out on the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year Award.
In 2024, Watt and Garrett are the frontrunners. Nearly equal in sacks and recognition, the race is on for one of them to capture their second DPOY honor and become part of the elite club of players who have that on their resume. Still, Watt’s primary focus is on winning. He’s without a playoff victory in his career, just about the only achievement he can’t tout.
Watt will again face Browns RT Jack Conklin. Though Cleveland offered typical chip help, Conklin had plenty of 1-on-1 battles against Watt in their Week 12 meeting. He won nearly all of them. Watt will try to turn the tables this time around and feed off his two-sack performance in the Steelers’ win over the Cincinnati Bengals last Sunday.
On the other end, Pittsburgh will look to contain Garrett, who will be itching for another statement performance that could stamp his argument for DPOY. After all, at 3-9, it’s the only thing Garrett and the Browns have to play for.
