Steelers' superstar pass rusher on pace to set another franchise record in 2024

Down by one score with 3:03 left in the game, the New York Giants were driving deep into Steeler territory late on Monday Night. On a crucial third-down play from the Pittsburgh 19-yard line, T.J. Watt beat Giant’s Right Tackle Jermaine Eluemunor and continued his pursuit for the opposing quarterback.

Ultimately, Watt sacked Daniel Jones, knocking the ball loose, then continued to recover the ball himself -- resulting in a game-changing turnover.

For the majority of the national audience tuning into Monday Night Football, this may have been one of the best defensive plays seen all year. For Steeler fans, this was just another routine play from number 90.

Now in his 8th season in the NFL, Watt has proven that he is one of the best pass-rushing specialists to ever play the game. With 103 career sacks to his name, he should remain the Steelers' all-time leader in sacks for the foreseeable future. That being said, T.J. does more than just hunt quarterback; he hunts the football.

T.J. Watt continues to etch his name within the NFL history books

With 9 games left on the Steelers' 2024 schedule, T.J. Watt could find his way to the top of yet another Steelers all-time list. No, I’m not talking about his 47 career pass defenses, which currently ranks 2nd among all linebackers behind James Farrior (53). I’m also not talking about how he currently sits in 3rd among all defenders in the tackles for loss category with 117; just behind Cameron Heyward (125) and James Harrison (122).

The category I’m talking about may be more suited for a player described as a 'game wrecker' such as Watt. The four-time First-Team All-Pro defender currently has the third-most forced fumbles in Steelers franchise history with 31. Only Greg Lloyd (34) and James Harrison (33) have more since the NFL started crediting players with forced fumbles in 1982.

So can Watt really force four more fumbles over the next nine games?

Well, so far in the 2024 campaign, he's forced four fumbles through the first eight games, so you would think it’s certainly obtainable. In fact, 21 of Watt's 103 career sacks have resulted in fumbles.

Think about that. one of every five times that he gets to the quarterback, the ball is up for grabs. The Steelers have done relatively well in these situations and have recovered about 43 percent of Watt's strip sacks -- not to mention he is constantly punching at the ball and has racked up a total of 10 career forced fumbles when defending the run.

So, whether or not T.J. Watt can reach a total of 35 career forced fumbles and set the Steelers' all-time record in 2024 remains to be seen. However, this accomplishment is very much within his reach -- especially when you consider the fact that Watt has his sights set on a much higher achievement: the Lombardi Trophy.

Claiming the ultimate prize would require Watt to participate in more than nine games for the rest of the year and would truly cement his legacy among the NFL's all-time greats.