Just like that, T.J. Watt passed another NFL legend on the all-time sack list. The Steelers star came into this contest with 106.0 career sacks and 9.5 sacks on the season. Late in the second quarter, he added a pair of sacks to his historic pace.
With his first sack of the game against the Eagles, Watt surpassed Ed 'Too Tall' Jones on the NFL's all-time sack list. Jones, who played from age 23 to age 38 with the Dallas Cowboys from 1974-1989, had 106.0 career sacks.
But this one was controversial.
As Watt jousted with All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson at the line of scrimmage, the Steelers star lunged to trip up Jalen Hurts. Though it appeared Hurts was able to get past the line of scrimmage, stat keepers labeled this as a sack for Watt.
This gave Watt 10.5 sacks on the season... but he wasn't done yet. A few plays later, Watt caused Johnson to jump early and pick up a false start penalty. Then Watt dusted the legendary offensive tackle for a massive sack on Hurts.
TJ WATT INCOMING.
— NFL (@NFL) December 15, 2024
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With his second sack of the game against the Eagles, Watt surpassed Mark Gastineau on the all-time
sack list. Gastineau became a trending figure in the news this past week after his awkward comments to Brett Favre.
Steelers star keeps the Steelers in the game with dominant first half
Watt's first sack on Hurts looked more like an impressive run stop than anything else. But regardless of how this one counted in the box score, there's no denying the Steelers star's dominant first half kept Pittsburgh in the game.
The Eagles dominated Pittsburgh early in this game and quickly jumped out to a 17-3. However, Watt's resilience helped the Steelers fight back in this contest to make it 17-14 at halftime.
In addition to earning a pair of sacks in the first two quarters, Watt also had a tomahawk chop that resulted in a drive-killing forced fumble on Jalen Hurts. Now it's time for the offense to step up and do their part.
Watt was the clear frontrunner for the Defensive Player of the Year award entering Week 15, and he only helped his cause with a remarkable showing against the Eagles.