Don’t let one game fool you. T.J. Watt is still an elite defensive player. He reminded everyone of that Sunday, making one of the game’s few defensive plays in what’s become a wild shootout between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals.
Watt forced a fumble on Bengals QB Joe Burrow late in the first half, recovered by Preston Smith to complete the turnover.
The Bengals tried using their “trap protection” to block Watt, something we noted would be a dangerous game against someone of his caliber. They pulled the LG to block him, hoping to sell the run, but the coverage held up long enough for Watt to beat the block of the tight end and the puller to strip sack Burrow.
Watt now has 8.5 sacks and a league-leading five forced fumbles this season. His impact play came after one of his quietest games in Week 12 against the Cleveland Browns, Watt failing to record a sack or QB hit. Instead, it was Myles Garrett having a big game on the other side, recording three first-half sacks and declaring himself No. 1 postgame.
Despite that performance, T.J. Watt remained the favorite to win DPOY and at least one voter indicated he was still putting Watt in the top spot. Today’s play should only further that.
The Steelers and Bengals are knotted at 21 with under four minutes to go in the second half.
