Tag: TJ Watt

Wisconsin legend dominates in Steelers thrilling win over Cincinnati Bengals

Wisconsin legend dominates in Steelers thrilling win over Cincinnati Bengals

Wisconsin defensive legend T.J. Watt registered another monster output in the Steelers’ 44-38 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

After notching just four tackles in the Steelers’ snowstorm loss against the Cleveland Browns on Nov. 21, Watt returned to the forefront of Pittsburgh’s defensive attack against Joe Burrow and the Bengals at Paycor Stadium.

Watt accumulated three solo tackles, two sacks and one forced fumble in the contest as the Steelers snagged their ninth win of the 2024 season.

Watt is now responsible for 9.5 sacks on the season and 106 sacks for his career. If he secures 0.5 more sacks this season, it would be the sixth campaign of 10 or more sacks for the generational talent.

Through 12 games, he now also leads the NFL in forced fumbles with five.

The former Badger’s most dominant defensive sequence came with just under five minutes remaining in the second quarter. With the game knotted at 21, Watt maneuvered around a Bengals offensive lineman to strip-sack Burrow and flip possession.

Kicker Chris Boswell would convert a 50-yard field goal to push the Steelers ahead 24-21 on the ensuing possession.

Watt wasn’t the only Badger alumnus that showed out on Sunday. Quarterback Russell Wilson threw for the second-most yards of his career in the victory, and outside linebacker Nick Herbig also recorded a strip-sack.

Watt will likely finish this season near the top of the Defensive Player of the Year voting. His crew is back on the gridiron on Dec. 8 vs. the Browns in Pittsburgh.

Russell Wilson, Zack Baun headline former Badgers on 2025 NFL Pro Bowl ballot

Russell Wilson, Zack Baun headline former Badgers on 2025 NFL Pro Bowl ballot

A total of 18 former Wisconsin Badgers were included on the 2025 NFL Pro Bowl Games ballot on Tuesday.

On the offensive side of the ball, 11 UW alumni were featured on the NFL’s voting list. The most notable include quarterback Russell Wilson (Pittsburgh Steelers), running back Jonathan Taylor (Indianapolis Colts), running back Braelon Allen (New York Jets), full back Alec Ingold (Miami Dolphins) and tight end Jake Ferguson (Dallas Cowboys).

Offensive linemen Rob Havenstein (Los Angeles Rams), David Edwards (Buffalo Bills), Kevin Zeitler (Detroit Lions), Tyler Biadasz (Washington Commanders), Tanor Bortolini (Colts) and Joe Tippmann (Jets) were also featured.

Defensively, tackle Keeanu Benton (Steelers), inside linebacker T.J. Edwards (Chicago Bears) and outside linebackers Andrew Van Ginkel (Minnesota Vikings), T.J. Watt (Steelers), Nick Herbig (Steelers), Zack Baun (Philadelphia Eagles) and Leo Chenal (Kansas City Chiefs) were selected as eligible for the ballot.

On the surface, the most surprising inclusions on the lists are Benton and Allen. While the list is nowhere near final, these former Badgers rarely receive national attention, and they will surely fail to make the final Pro Bowl roster.

Nonetheless, they’re eligible. A total of 69 defensive tackles and 42 running backs were featured on the ballot. Since both Benton and Allen have each logged 11 games and made a statistical impact for their respective teams, they ultimately appear on the ballot.

Baun, Watt and Van Ginkel are likely shoe-ins for the Pro Bowl Games this winter. With 105 total tackles, Baun is trending towards an All-Pro appearance, Van Ginkel is among the NFL’s sack leaders with nine sacks, while Watt is a perennial Pro Bowler.

This winter’s Pro Bowl features a flag football game and several skill competitions. It is slated for Sunday, Feb. 2 at 2:00 p.m. CT in Orlando, Florida.

Gimme Him: One player the Commanders would steal from the Steelers

The Commanders would steal on player from the Steelers this week if they could, and who wouldn’t want this player on their team?

This week, the Washington Commanders face a tough test when they host the Pittsburgh Steelers. Mike Tomlin has the Steelers in contention for the postseason nearly every year, and the Steelers’ defense is always one of the toughest in the league.

The Commanders’ defense, on the other hand, isn’t playing well in 2024. While they just got a boost with the acquisition of Marshawn Lattimore, the Commanders would still steal one player from Pittsburgh: TJ Watt.

Through eight games this season, Watt has recorded 33 tackles (24 solo), 6.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, two passes defensed, and 7.5 stuffs for 10 yards.

But it’s not just his stats that make the Commanders want Watt on their side. Even when he’s not making tackles, he’s impacting the game in other ways. He often draws extra attention because he’s such a prolific player, which means other players get left open. And even when he is double-teamed, sometimes it just doesn’t matter. Watt is an animal on the field with a high football IQ and an unmatched level of anticipation. Opposing quarterbacks see him coming and panic.

Washington could use Watt’s production and leadership on their defense, and if you combine Watt with Lattimore, talk about solidifying your defense.

The Commanders haven’t made it past the Wild Card round since 2005, and with how they are playing, they will have a bye that week this year. At this pace, they’ll head straight to the divisional round this year, putting them ahead of anything they’ve done in 20 years.

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WATCH: Two Wisconsin legends combine to force Cowboys turnover on NFL Sunday Night Football

WATCH: Two Wisconsin legends combine to force Cowboys turnover on NFL Sunday Night Football

The Pittsburgh Steelers defense has the Wisconsin football program to thank for its immense success.

Former Badgers on the unit are T.J. Watt, Nick Herbig, Keeanu Benton and Isaiahh Loudermilk. The group put together a statement performance in the Steelers’ narrow 20-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football.

Related:Ā ESPN FPI updates Wisconsin football win chances for remaining 2024 schedule after Week 6 win over Purdue

Watt finished with eight tackles, 1 1/2 sacks, one tackle for loss and three quarterback hits. Herbig recorded two tackles, 1/2 sack, one tackle for loss, one quarterback hit, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Benton had a tackle, a pass deflection and a quarterback hit. Loudermilk, finally, blocked a Cowboys field goal.

There were many highlights of the night. One should mean the most to Badgers fans: Watt and Herbig, two program-great pass-rushers from entirely different eras, combined on a sack and forced fumble on Cowboys QB Dak Prescott:

Herbig was always compared to Watt as he ascended to stardom at Wisconsin. The two superstars actually put up similar numbers in their final collegiate seasons:

  • Nick Herbig 2022: 47 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 11.0 sacks, two pass deflections, two forced fumbles
  • T.J. Watt 2016: 63 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, one interception, four pass deflections, two forced fumbles

Watt has since gone on to become one of the most prolific pass-rushers in NFL history — his 1.5 sacks on Sunday night made him the second-fastest player ever to reach 100 sacks.

Herbig, meanwhile, is only in year two in the NFL after being selected in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL draft. His rookie season included 27 tackles, 3.0 sacks, five tackles, three quarterback hits and two forced fumbles. Those numbers are all trending even better through the first five games of 2024.

The comparison between the two will only continue if Herbig can ascend to NFL stardom. They have similar games, they wear the same NFL uniform and now, they’re even combining on sack-fumbles.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWireĀ on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page onĀ FacebookĀ to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion.

Cowboys on wrong end of historic career start Week 5 vs Steelers

With injuries mounting, why not throw a career milestone on to salt the wound.

When the schedules were released in May, fans of quarterback pressure circled two of the Cowboys’ first five games. In Week 1, the matchup between Myles Garrett and Micah Parsons lived up to the billing of two of the three preeminent pass rushers in the NFL with both players notching sacks.

Week 5 was the second iteration as Parsons and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ TJ Watt were set to match wits. Only Parsons was injured in Week 4 and is missing the game. To make matters worse, with Dallas driving near the end of the first quarter to take an early lead, Watt made history.

Watt, who has led the NFL in sacks three times already in his career, notched a half tally in a strip sack of Dak Prescott deep in Pittsburgh’s territory, giving him 100 for his career in just 109 career games.

It’s the fastest a player has made that number since Reggie White did it in 96.

Watt, of course, could have been making these milestones while wearing a Dallas uniform. In 2017, Dallas had Watt sitting there in the first round to be taken out of Wisconsin, but the Cowboys famously thought that because they ran a 40-front, Watt wouldn’t make a good fit as he was used to playing standing up.

Instead the Cowboys selected Taco Charlton out of Michigan, who couldn’t even complete half of his rookie contract without getting released.

Steelers week 1 takeaway: Defense dominates

Steelers week 1 takeaway: Defense dominates

Blitzberg was in full force for the Pittsburgh Steelers week 1 victory in Atlanta. Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins looked extremely uncomfortable, constantly under pressure from the Pittsburgh pass rush.Ā 

The Falcons had one touchdown drive on Sunday and it was perhaps the only true noteworthy drive.Ā  With the offense under constant duress, Kirk Cousins tossed two interceptions off pressures from Larry Ogunjobi and TJ Watt.

Watt had two potential strip-sack fumble recoveries called back by flags. One was an extremely questionable call and angered Steelers fans alike, on a terrible offsides call on Watt. However, the defense took the game out of the refereesā€™ hands and put it into their own on Sunday.Ā  Ā 

Wattā€™s consistent pressure and concluding sack on the day show that he should always belong in the conversation for the best defensive player in football.Ā 

The Steelersā€™ defense held the Atlanta Falcons to 224 offensive yards and just a measly 54 yards in the second half.Ā  The Steelers will look to build off this momentum as they head to Denver next Sunday.Ā 

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BIlls’ Greg Rousseau named ‘player who could breakout in 2024’

#BIlls’ Greg Rousseau named ‘player who could breakout in 2024’

Buffalo Bills defensive end Greg Rousseau has been solid during his tenure in Buffalo. In four years, he has consistently improved and entrenched himself as an integral part of the Bills defensive line.

Last season, Rousseau led the Bills defensive ends in snap percentage, seeing 54.6 percent of the snaps.

The Bills moved on from Leonard Floyd, who led Buffalo with 10.5 sacks last year. In addition, Von Miller is coming off his worst season as a pro, registering only three tackles and no sacks.

Thus, Rousseau will have greater responsibility as he enters his fourth professional season. The Miami product should have more opportunities to play in a variety of situations for Buffalo’s defense in the fall.

With this in mind, the 33rd Team’ sees Rousseau as a defensive player who could break out in the 2024 season.

The analysis highlights that even though Rousseau’s sack total dropped during the past two campaigns, the end has shown improvements in other aspects of his game:

Rousseau was a much better player in 2023 as he created more pressures (68) and improved significantly as a run defender. During the 2022 season, Rousseau was just an average run defender who teams would run toward when possible. But in 2023, he became an above-average run player, finishing the season with 19 stops. His improvement as a run defender has been a steady one despite it being a weakness coming out of college. Now, he is an every-down player who can thrive in any situation.

In addition, Rousseau was on par with some of the league’s best in different metrics. Rousseau’s pass-win rate was 16.0 percent last year, just behind Pittsburgh’s superstar TJ Watt (16.9 percent). Rousseau was slightly ahead of Danielle Hunter (15.7 percent) and Maxx Crosby (15.5) percent. Mosher posits that if Rousseau can improve this number, a double-digit sack season may be on the horizon.

Rousseau enters the season as Buffalo’s No. 1 defensive end. He has a great deal of experience on the field, taking starting snaps early in his career. The 33rd Team sees things turning out well for Rousseau’s development this year:

Rousseau just turned 24 and already has three seasons under his belt with nearly 2,000 snaps played. But going into Year 4, the expectations are even higher. The Bills need Rousseau to be a star on the edge and be a consistent pass rusher in big games. And given his trajectory, itā€™s not hard to believe that it will happen given his rapid improvement.

Rousseau has started all 46 games he has played in a Buffalo uniform. Over three seasons, he has recorded 129 total tackles, 42 quarterback hits, 17 sacks, three forced fumbles, and an interception.

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Every former Wisconsin Badger selected in NFL draft first round since 2000

Every former Wisconsin Badger selected in NFL draft first round since 2000:

The 2024 NFL draft enters its third day of action on Saturday, April 27 with rounds 4-7.

Three rounds are already in the books, and no former Wisconsin Badger was selected in that frame for the fourth time since 2011.

Related: Wisconsin football 2024 spring transfer portal window tracker

There will be several former Badgers selected on day three of the draft —Ā  including running back Braelon Allen, offensive lineman Tanor Bortolini and running back Isaac Guerendo (via Louisville). Several others have a chance to be selected but will likely sign as undrafted free agents.

The Wisconsin football program is in the midst of a cold streak of turning players into top draft picks. Numerous recent players have turned into NFL stars, including Leo Chenal, Jonathan Taylor, T.J. Edwards and Andrew Van Ginkel — though none were first-round selections.

Luke Fickell and his staff are working to revamp the roster, which should lead toward that streak changing. But until that happens, here is every former Wisconsin Badger to be selected in first round since 2000:

NFL legend Aaron Donald says a former Wisconsin Badger is the league’s best defensive player

NFL legend Aaron Donald says a former Wisconsin Badger is the league’s best defensive player

NFL legend Aaron Donald joined the Green Light podcast with Chris Long this week and gave his take on the league’s best defensive player — now that he’s retired from the sport.

His answer: former Wisconsin Badgers outside linebacker T.J. Watt.

“Right now, I think it’s T.J. Watt,” Donald said. “If you talk about a guy that’s consistent, been doing it year-in and year-out consistently. That’s going to get you 15 sacks, or 13 sacks or damn 22 sacks consistent. He’s the guy that’s been doing it. … Interceptions every year, touchdowns. His stats be ridiculous.”

Related: Evaluating the Big Ten’s next targets for conference expansion

The stats back it up, as Donald noted. Watt’s seven-year NFL career has already included 96.5 sacks, 107 tackles for loss, 198 quarterback hits, 27 forced fumbles and seven interceptions. Those counting stats, plus six Pro Bowls, four first-team All-Pro honors and the 2021 AP Defensive Player of the Year.

Many around the league said Donald was still the scariest defender in the league, even in 2023 in his 10th NFL season. Watt now has a chance to decisively take that crown with Donald retired.

Contact/FollowĀ @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page onĀ Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion.Ā Follow Ben Kenney on X.

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Former Wisconsin Badgers linebacker ranks in top five in major NFL category

Former Wisconsin Badgers linebacker ranks in top five in major NFL category

The NFL season is still six months away, but the league never leaves the front page and a former Wisconsin Badgers linebacker received some attention Monday.

Pittsburgh Steelers standout edge rusher TJ Watt ranks second only to Haason Reddick in forced fumbles since the beginning of the 2020 campaign, which comes as no surprise. After two seasons with the Eagles, Reddick will be a New York Jet in 2024, joining Watt in the AFC.

Watt has been electric since he was selected in the first round (30th overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft, ranking at or near the top of the league in sacks, forced fumbles, quarterback pressures and more.

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