Tag: T.J. Watt

T.J. Watt’s destruction is inevitable, yet opponents still think they can stop him

T.J. Watt’s destruction is inevitable, yet opponents still think they can stop him

In the build-up to last week’s game in Atlanta, Falcons head coach Raheem Morris swore he wouldn’t let Pittsburgh Steelers edge T.J. Watt take over and wreck the game.  Well, that is exactly what Watt did.  Courtland Sutton must have missed last week’s comments by Atlanta’s coach because he is following in the same nonsensical footsteps of thinking there is a possibility of stopping a healthy T.J.

Courtland Sutton is either a more gifted offensive tackle than he is a wide receiver, or he is doing a better job of motivating the former defensive player of the year than Raheem Morris did.  His comments to the media can’t be that bad though.

https://twitter.com/kylebeagle/status/1834264478499885099?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Yikes!  This decision by Courtland Sutton will more likely than not blow up in his face.  While the Steelers continue to practice in preparation for their visit to Denver, a few things are for certain: Morris will need to warn Sutton, Sutton will need to worry about his stat line instead, and T.J. Watt’s takeover is a matter of when not if.

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Steelers matchups to watch: Week 2 (DEN) – T.J. Watt vs. Mike McGlinchey

T.J. Watt will be looking to wreck another game this week.

After a remarkable defensive effort in Week 1, the Pittsburgh Steelers star defensive player, T.J. Watt, will be a part of one of the matchups to watch this Sunday in Denver.  In Week 2, T.J. Watt will look to take on one of the Denver Broncos’ best players, right tackle Mike McGlinchey.

Mike McGlinchey, the former 2018 1st round pick out of Notre Dame, had a solid performance for the Denver Broncos.  McGlinchey, on 51 pass-blocking snaps, allowed only three hurries against the Seattle Seahawks defensive front, while allowing zero QB hits or sacks.

T.J. Watt was credited one sack on Sunday, but made key stops on running plays, and recovered an important fumble in the third quarter.  He also had two strip sacks taken away by penalties, one of which seemed like a completely botched call by the officials.

The Pittsburgh Steelers will head to Denver in Week 2 with hopes of strengthening their record to 2-0, and T.J. Watt’s role in beating McGlinchey will play a significant part in making it happen.  The Steelers and Broncos go head to head, September 15th, at 4:25 pm EST.

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Broncos coach Sean Payton praises Steelers’ tough, physical defense

“They do a lot of things extremely well, and that’s not by accident,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said of the Steelers’ defense.

The Denver Broncos‘ offense struggled to score touchdowns against the Seattle Seahawks’ defense in a 26-20 loss on Sunday.

An even tougher test is on deck in Week 2 when the Broncos host the Pittsburgh Steelers, who allowed only 10 points to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1.

“Certainly, the Steelers’ defensive tradition and how they’re performed over the years is deserving of the accolades and all the success they’ve had,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said Monday. “It’s tough, it’s physical. They do a lot of things extremely well, and that’s not by accident.

“I think we’ll be seeing a better defense this weekend, and that’s with no disrespect at all to Seattle. It’s just a more experienced defense — that’s a better way to say it. We’ll have to obviously make the corrections and then get ready for a good week here for a home game.”

Pittsburgh’s defense forced two interceptions, two sacks and one fumble in an 18-10 win over Atlanta on Sunday with star defensive lineman T.J. Watt leading the way (he had three QB hits, two tackles behind the line, one sack and one fumble recovery).

If the Broncos’ offense is going to bounce back from an underwhelming performance last week, they’ll have to make huge strides. The Seahawks’ defense was tough. The Steelers’ is tougher.

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Wisconsin position group dominates in opening weekend of 2024 NFL season

Wisconsin position group dominates in opening weekend of 2024 NFL season

Several former Wisconsin linebackers erupted during Week 1 of the 2024 NFL slate this past weekend.

Among the stars were Kansas City Chiefs LB Leo Chenal, Chicago Bears ILB T.J. Edwards, Philadelphia Eagles ILB Zack Baun, Minnesota Vikings OLB Andrew Van Ginkel and Pittsburgh Steelers OLB T.J. Watt.

Each playmaker was a handful for the offenses they lined up against. Watt and Baun even clinched their squads’ opening weekend victories with game-ending sacks in the final sequence of their respective contests.

While many members of the Badger faithful are accustomed to witnessing Watt decimate his adversaries regularly, Wisconsin fans were able to observe some spectacular performances from other UW alumni who don’t receive the same type of attention.

Baun, who recorded just 30 total tackles a season ago with the New Orleans Saints, registered 15 tackles, two sacks and a tackle for loss in the Eagles’ 34-29 victory over the Green Bay Packers in Sao Paolo, Brazil.

Edwards also showed out for the entire Week 1 window. He led Chicago with 15 tackles and recovered a Will Levis fumble to help the Bears shift momentum against the Tennessee Titans at Soldier Field.

https://twitter.com/JakeJMaier/status/1832876708447572068

Van Ginkel, who made his Vikings debut on Sunday, intercepted a Daniel Jones’ pass and took it to the house for six points en route to a blowout victory over the New York Giants. And that’s just to name a few highlights.

While notorious for producing high end offensive linemen and running backs, UW also knows a thing or two about developing linebackers. Eight former Wisconsin linebackers currently play in the NFL, six of whom figure to serve as defensive staples for their crews this season.

Questionable calls that almost decided the game against Atlanta

The Steelers were on the wrong end of a couple of awful calls on Sunday.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are no strangers to bad calls made by officials.  Some of these calls can decide a game if missed.  There were two calls this Sunday that would have shifted the game script if called correctly. 

George Pickens made a diving catch with 3 minutes 44 seconds remaining in the 3rd quarter.  Viewers could see that A.J. Terrell tried to touch Pickens down and missed, in which George Pickens got up and ran for around 10 yards more.  The referees, however, missed the call and claimed that Pickens was marked down back at the Atlanta 28-yard line. 

The referees’ presence was also felt on the defensive side of the ball.  With 38 seconds remaining in the 1st half of the game, T.J. Watt spectacularly timed the Atlanta Falcons snap and strip-sacked Kirk Cousins, which should have resulted in a turnover for the Steelers.  The referees, however, labeled this impressive feat of timing and patience an offsides penalty.  The very next play, Kirk Cousins hit tight end Kyle Pitts for a touchdown. 

The Steelers should not put themselves in positions where non-reviewable calls like these can decide the game.  As close as the Steelers win their games, the officials are bound to make or break a contest, one way or another. 

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NFL official apologizes to Steeler T.J. Watt for botched call

T.J. Watt wrecked the Falcons offensive gameplan.

The impact Pittsburgh Steelers edge T.J. Watt had on their 18-10 win extended well beyond the boxscore. Watt wrecked the Atlanta Falcons gameplan and would have put together a truly elite stat line if not for a pair of penalties that negatived strip sacks.

At least one of those calls was completely bogus. Officials flagged Watt for an offsides on one of his big plays which upon review was shown to be just Watt being the best defensive player in the NFL and timing the snap so perfectly, officials couldn’t believe it.

Watt told NFL Network reporter Mike Garafolo after the game and talked about the play. Watt said the official that threw the flag came to him after halftime and said he watched it again and apologized for missing the call.

Even without those two strip sacks, Watt and the Steelers defense dominated the Falcons defense. Quarterback Kirk Cousins operated under constant duress and running back Bijan Robinson struggled to get any traction.

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Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt reacts to his walk-off sack in Atlanta

T.J. Watt closed out the win with a huge sack.

When a caliber of player like Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt begins a regular season game, one would assume that there is not much he hasn’t already accomplished.

This was the case until he accumulated his 97.5 career sack on what he described as his first-ever walk-off sack to conclude the game on Sunday. He was understandably full of excitement to win the football game, in this fashion, in Atlanta, as Watt jokingly referenced the penalties that took away 2 previous strip-sacks in the game.

Watt will look to continue his dominance and perhaps hit his 100th milestone sack next Sunday in Denver. The Denver Broncos lost this past Sunday to the Seattle Seahawks with a final score of 20-26, giving up 2 sacks and 3 turnovers.

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Steelers LB T.J. Watt spoils Falcons’ gameplan to stop him

Contrary to what the Atlanta head coach said he’d do, TJ Watt wrecked the game in Steelers’ week 1 victory.

The buildup to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Atlanta Falcons game in week 1 was not without intrigue.  There was some drama surrounding the starting QB for the game, and if Tomlin was using this to his advantage.  The head coach for the Falcons, Raheem Morris, spoke on this idea, and one more concept that slid under the radar: stopping T. J. Watt from tearing into the Falcons.  

https://twitter.com/_MLFootball/status/1831448627576987740

If today’s game was an indication of the preparation that Morris gave the Atlanta Falcons, for T.J. Watt, only one response is appropriate: Yikes!  T.J. was dominant against the run, had Cousins under pressure all game, recovered a fumble, and finished off the game with a sack.

For all the talk about preparing for T.J., it did not show in Sunday’s game.  One could simply see the amount of effort that Kyle Pitts was using to assist in chipping T.J. all game: zero.

Regardless of whether or not Morris was truly determined to stop the former ‘Defensive Player of the Year’ or simply contain him, one thing was for certain on Sunday, T.J. Watt wrecked the game.

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Wisconsin legend clinches Week 1 win for Pittsburgh Steelers

Wisconsin legend clinches Week 1 win for Pittsburgh Steelers

One of the greatest Wisconsin defenders of all time wreaked havoc against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

T.J. Watt, who played 27 games at linebacker for Wisconsin from 2015-16, sacked Falcons’ quarterback Kirk Cousins to clinch the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 18-10 opening weekend win in Atlanta.

Watt did nearly everything a defender could do to disrupt an opposing offense on Sunday. The six-time Pro Bowler recorded four total tackles, two of those being tackles for loss, one sack, three quarterback hits and a fumble recovery at outside linebacker.

In an 18-10 game, the Steelers’ offense held Cousins to 155 air yards and two interceptions. Watt and company also held explosive running back Bijan Robinson to under 70 yards on 18 carries.

The Steelers could credit a majority of the defensive masterclass to Watt. On nearly every defensive sequence, Atlanta’s offensive line could not prevent his onslaught towards the pocket.

In addition to his six Pro Bowl appearances, Watt entered the 2024 season with four First-Team All-Pro honors, 96.5 total sacks and 107 tackles for loss through seven seasons with the Steelers. The Wisconsin native’s trophy shelf also includes a Defensive Player of the Year honor in 2021 and three sack titles (2020, 2021 and 2023).

ESPN recently ranked Watt as the No. 10 player in the NFL ahead of his eighth NFL campaign. Only Browns’ edge Myles Garrett and Cowboys’ edge Micah Parsons were ranked higher on the defensive side of the football.

Watt figures to make a run at his second Defensive Player of the Year honor this season. At age 29, he’s as disruptive of a force as one could find across the NFL.

Pittsburgh will face Denver in its second game of the season on the road on Sept. 15.

Chris Boswell, Steelers defense carry offense to win over Falcons

The Steelers stuck to the formula against the Falcons and got the win.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. The Pittsburgh Steelers offense sputters, the defense dominates and kicker Chris Boswell carries the team to a victory. It was an all-too-predictable formula for the Steelers as they found a way to get past the Atlanta Falcons 18-10 in Week 1.

The preseason wasn’t great for Boswell, but he made everyone forget that by going 6-for-6 on his field goals, including three kicks beyond 50 yards. This is the first time in franchise history a kicker has made three fields goals of 50 yards or more in a single game.

Defensively, it was all about that pass rush. As the game wore on, the Steelers defensive front wore the Falcons down and ended up sacking Kirk Cousins twice and hitting him seven times. Edge rusher T.J. Watt had one sack that counted and two strip-sacks that were negated by penalties. Watt also had two tackles for loss and recovered a fumble.

The Steelers offense was held under 300 yards and didn’t get a touchdown. This isn’t acceptable, and it was hard to watch and not think of former offensive coordinator Matt Canada and his plodding offense of a year ago.

Fortunately, the Steelers got just enough out of running back Najee Harris (70 rushing yards) and George Pickens (85 receiving yards) to help Boswell put up all the points.

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