T.J. Watt marks his return with another Hall of Fame milestone in Steelers win

T.J. Watt made his much-needed and well-timed return to the Pittsburgh Steelers defense for their Sunday night win over the rival Baltimore Ravens, securing the AFC North title and a spot in the playoffs starting next week.

Of course, with a game of such magnitude, on a day where Watt’s shared single-season sack record with Michael Strahan was broken by Myles Garrett, Steelers fans were quietly but surely hoping Watt would be able to make his presence felt.

Despite lingering questions about whether his lung injury would limit his usage in the game, Watt delivered with another highlight moment, catching a ricocheted interception in the third quarter, setting up the Steelers to take their first lead of the contest.

Just as well, Watt added to his Hall of Fame resume in the process.

Pittsburgh Steelers' T.J. Watt’s Week 18 interception puts him in historic company

As pointed out by the NFL+ X handle, Watt became just the third player in league history with 100+ sacks to also have nine or more interceptions. The first two were Hall of Famers Lawrence Taylor and Julius Peppers.

For those keeping score, Watt has 115 career sacks and nine interceptions. Taylor had 142 sacks and nine interceptions, while Peppers had 159.5 sacks and 11 interceptions. Since he was mentioned earlier, I’ll save you the web search to say that Myles Garrett has zero interceptions in his career.

Of course, just as there’s no denying that Garrett’s achievement cements him as a future Hall of Famer, as if there were a doubt to begin with, Watt’s own accomplishment to close the 2025 regular season stands just the same. Both help contextualize two of the greatest pass-rushing careers in the history of the NFL.

READ MORE: Unsung Steelers hero steps up big in crucial AFC North battle

Watt didn’t have his most productive season sacking the quarterback in 2025, finishing with just seven on the year. Still, he had his third season with at least two interceptions, tied his career high in pass deflections, and recorded his fifth season with at least two fumble recoveries. Teams are still paying him a ton of attention with chips and double teams, too.

Of course, the one thing lacking on Watt’s resume is playoff success. The Steelers have not won a playoff game with Watt on the roster. They’ll look to rectify that next Monday night against the Houston Texans, hopefully adding a bit more to Watt’s Hall of Fame resume in the process.