T.J. Watt reminds Jalen Hurts why he's the NFL leader in forced fumbles

You can't hold a future Hall of Fame player down for long. T.J. Watt has been relatively quiet in recent weeks, but we knew it was only a matter of time before the Steelers star came up with another game-altering play.

In Week 15 against the Eagles, it didn't take long for Watt to make his presence felt. With Pittsburgh's offense struggling, Watt knew he needed to make something happen early in this game... and he did.

After the offense went three-and-out on their first two possessions of the game, the Eagles got the football back and tried to make something happen. Quarterback Jalen Hurts rolled to his left in an attempt to extend the play, but after taking off with the football, Watt tracked down Hurts and dislodged the ball from his hands — resulting in a takeaway for the Steelers.

This is hardly the first time Watt made a game-wrecking play for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The four-time First-Team All-Pro defender led the NFL in forced fumbles with five entering Week 15. Now he can add another one to this NFL-leading number.

T.J. Watt shows why he's the DPOY frontrunner

Watt, who led the NFL with eight forced fumbles back in 2019, now has 33 career forced fumbles. This number leads all NFL players since 2018.

Though Watt hasn't generated the pressure and sack production like he has in years past, he's been the most frequently chipped player in the NFL this year. Opposing offenses must account for where he is at all times and do everything in their power to try to slow him down.

All it takes is an opportunity or two for Watt to change the game. He gave Pittsburgh a chance with this big play. Unfortunately, the offense was not able to capitalize on the takeaway, and they punted the football three players later.

On the first six drives of the game, the Steelers netted negative six yards of offense. However, the special teams chipped in another takeaway after forcing and recovering a fumble on a punt — resulting in three points for Pittsburgh.

With the offense struggling to move the football, the Steelers will require more big plays like this to stand a chance against the Eagles. Pittsburgh hasn't won a game in Philadelphia since 1965, and T.J. Watt will need to offer even more splash if Mike Tomlin's team is to stand a shot in this contest.