5 Pittsburgh Steelers with skyrocketing stock entering Week 10
By Tommy Jaggi
Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt
A dominant performance is much more expected out of Pittsburgh’s best player than it is from a second-round rookie. However, T.J. Watt hardly disappointed with his play against Chicago on Monday Night Football.
After a remarkable performance against the Cleveland Browns in Week 8, Watt followed that up with a 3.0-sack game against the Bears in Week 9. In addition, the two-time All-Pro chipped in 3 tackles for a loss, 3 quarterback hits, 7 total tackles, and a pass deflection.
Raw statistics hardly ever tell the whole tale with Watt, however, and it’s hard to find a stat that shows just how dominant he was in this contest. While the Bears were able to string together a few impressive drives late in the game with Justin Fields, it was Watt who frazzled the rookie QB and helped his team to allow just 6 points through the first three-plus quarters of play.
Watt has now collected 11.5 sacks, 11 tackles for a loss, 18 QB hits, and 3 forced fumbles in just over 6 full games of play this season. Though he missed time with a groin injury and clearly wasn’t at full health when he returned against the Packers in Week 4, Watt is quickly becoming a strong Defensive Player of the Year candidate once again.