The Pittsburgh Steelers are the one crew within the AFC North that received in Week 1, and a part of that’s due to T.J. Watt. Watt regarded like he hasn’t missed a beat since final 12 months, throttling the Atlanta Falcons’ offense. Former All-Professional cornerback Richard Sherman appeared extremely impressed with Watt.
“T.J. Watt could also be named DPOY by Week 8,” Sherman tweeted Sunday. “They negated about three of his sack pressured fumbles and he nonetheless seals the sport with a sack! Simply placing a wrench in my preseason predictions.”
Sherman was a part of the most effective defenses of all time when he was a member of the Seattle Seahawks. He’s seen his justifiable share of fantastic defenders, and Watt continues to be leaving him blown away. If Watt desires to win one other Defensive Participant of the 12 months award, he definitely had begin to that marketing campaign in Atlanta.
Watt was so good that the one factor that might cease him was the officers. He completed the sport with one sack and one fumble restoration, however it ought to’ve been far more. He had one strip-sack rightfully taken away attributable to a penalty within the secondary, however he additionally had a sack and a pressured fumble taken away on a bogus neutral-zone infraction.
That play regarded shut on the time, and Watt even mentioned that an official apologized to him as a result of they have been within the unsuitable. If not for these points that weren’t Watt’s fault, his stat line would have been much more spectacular. As a substitute, he simply recovered a fumble by the Falcons and had the game-sealing sack. Nonetheless an ideal day, however for Watt, that’s regular.
Falcons head coach Raheem Morris didn’t need Watt to wreck the sport, however in the long run, he did. The Steelers’ offense began sluggish as soon as once more, however Watt and the protection have been on fireplace. Their work as a unit willed the Steelers to victory.
If Watt continues to dominate like that, he could have a case to win DPOY this 12 months. That’s, until the voters resolve they like one other participant’s superior statistics extra. This week proved that Watt isn’t going to decelerate this 12 months, and so long as he stays wholesome, he ought to be capable to as soon as once more make the case that he’s the most effective defender within the NFL.
