T.J. Watt is one of the best defensive players in the NFL, but 2024 wasn’t his best season. Not only did the Pittsburgh Steelers fail to win a playoff game again, but Watt wasn’t very productive during their five-game losing streak to end the season. He still led the league in forced fumbles with six, which is impressive. However, he only put up 11.5 sacks, his lowest total in a healthy season since his rookie year. When the year started, it seemed like Watt would once again be recognized as the best defender in the league, but it doesn’t seem like that is the case.
The Professional Football Writers of America have been revealing their award winners for this season, and now, we know who they voted as their Defensive Player of the Year. Unfortunately, it wasn’t Watt. This year’s winner is Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II.
Surtain is more than deserving of this honor. This season, he put up four interceptions, one forced fumble, and 11 passes defensed. He also helped make the Broncos’ defense one of the best in the league. He was a big part of why they managed to make the playoffs with a rookie quarterback.
Many Steelers fans likely wanted Watt to win, but this isn’t like other years where he was snubbed for big awards. During the Steelers’ five-game losing streak to end the year, Watt only recorded two sacks. Both of those came against the Philadelphia Eagles, so he didn’t bring the quarterback down in their final four games.
Watt made it clear he never wants anything like that to happen again. He understands that he wasn’t as impactful as he should have been. Teams did throw quite a few double-teams and chips his way, but that shouldn’t excuse his lack of impact.
There’s still a chance he could win the Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year award, but based on these results, things are not looking good. Hopefully, that leaves Watt more motivated than ever. He’s still yet to win a playoff game in his career. Perhaps this down season will cause him to come back better than ever in 2025. The Steelers will certainly need it.
