T.J. Watt has a realistic shot at the NFL sack record. Here’s what the Pittsburgh Steelers star will have to do to achieve this prestigious honor this season.
T.J. Watt made history in Week 14 against the Tennesse Titans. Entering the contest, Watt was tied with former All-Pro and Defensive Player of the Year, James Harrison, for the most sacks ever in a Steelers season (16.0).
It looked like this was going to be broken early in the game as Watt was held around the waist by two Titans offensive linemen, but he was credited with just a half-sack on this play. However, later in the contest, Watt beat the double-team to earn a full sack — boosting his total up to 17.5 on the season.
The two-time All-Pro earned a remarkable honor by becoming Pittsburgh’s all-time single-season sack leader, but his prestigious awards might not stop there. With three games left on the schedule this year, Watt needs 5.5 sacks to surpass Hall of Famer Michael Strahan for the most ever in a single NFL season.
Obviously, this means he is going to have to double (or even triple) up on sacks in a few of these contests. However, Watt needs roughly 1.8 sacks per game over the final three to achieve this, and it appears to be well within striking distance.
Will the Steelers star break the single-season sack record?
Two of his final three games are against the Browns and Ravens. The first time around, T.J. Watt combined for a whopping 5.0 sacks against these two teams alone. If he has a repeat performance against Cleveland and Baltimore, that would almost be enough to do it.
However, the real challenge is going to come this week against the Kansas City Chiefs. Only five NFL teams have allowed fewer sacks than the Chiefs this season (25), as they have one of the best pass-protecting offensive lines in the league.
It doesn’t help that Patrick Mahomes is a master at eluding pressure in the pocket. However, he hasn’t faced Watt yet this year, and that could very well change on Sunday. Watt really needs to record a sack this week to keep his chances alive at breaking the all-time NFL sack record.
Why Watt has been so impressive
This feat becomes even more impressive when you consider the circumstances Watt has been dealing with. Dating back to the summer, Watt didn’t practice with his team nor did he appear in a single preseason game as he was awaiting a new deal from the organization.
When he did finally suit up for the season, the Steelers star defender was injured early in Week 2, and his misfortunes started to pile on from there. Here’s a look at all the practice and game time Watt has missed so far this year due to injuries and landing on the COVID list:
T.J. owns the #Steelers single-season sack record with 17.5. There are 3 games remaining. He needs 5.5 to pass Michael Strahan for the most sacks ever in a season.
— Tommy Jaggi (@TommyJaggi) December 21, 2021
This is remarkable when you consider what he has dealt with this season: pic.twitter.com/G9t3MiKM81
Despite all of this, Watt has still been one of the best defensive players in the league when healthy, and I would challenge you to find a non-quarterback who is more important to their team than Watt is.
The Steelers are now 7-2 this year when T.J. Watt plays 40 or more snaps and they are 0-4-1 when he plays under 40 snaps, according to Pro Football Reference.
The most important thing is to have a healthy T.J. Watt down the stretch, as so much of their success on defense runs through him. However, it’s going to be fun to watch him chase this sack record down the stretch, and is still within striking distance of making history.