Steelers TJ Watt On Menacing Pace To Shatter Sack Record In 2023

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a long and decorated history on the defensive side of the football. When TJ Watt won the AP Defensive Player of the Year award for his 2021 season, he joined other historic names such as Joe Greene, Troy Polamalu and James Harrison. During that epic 2021 season, Watt tied the NFL single-season sack record with Michael Strahan at 22.5 sacks. While his 2022 season was limited by injury, Watt has been healthy during 2023 and is on pace to break the record he is currently sharing with Strahan.

Steelers' Watt Already Having A Huge 2023

Mark Kaboly, who covers the Steelers for The Athletic, was asked on The AFC North Whiparound about what one statistic for the Steelers stands out to him. When it comes to Kaboly, one would probably fully expect this to be about the anemic offense or the lack of a running game, but instead, Kaboly went for a more positive note.

"Despite facing constant double teams and chips, Watt is on pace to shatter the single-season sack record he shares with Michael Strahan. Watt has eight sacks in five games, good for a pace of 27."

What makes that kind of production even more impressive is that it is happening without the Pittsburgh defense getting any kind of consistent help from their offense. The Steelers currently rank 30th in total offense, 27th in passing, 30th in rushing and are the 29th ranked team for offensive scoring. That kind of disappointing offensive result means that the weight of the 2023 season has fallen directly onto the shoulders of the defense.

Despite opposing teams knowing that they will be spending most of the game going up against the Steelers defense, Watt has still made a massive impact and has already swung games in favor of Pittsburgh. The one thing that makes Kaboly pause just for a moment is that natural tendency for huge statistical performances in the NFL to eventually even out and come back down to earth.

"Common sense says that number [sack total] will level off over the season, but nothing has been common with Watt this year."

That is certainly true. After missing Watt for most of the first half of 2022, having a hungry, healthy Watt in 2023 is making all the difference.

Steelers Hope Watt Turns Brilliant September Into More

For all the negative attention that the Steelers lack of offense has been bringing to the franchise, Watt got some much-needed positive press. Following a superb opening month of the 2023 NFL season, Watt was named the Defensive Player of the Month for September. He averaged two sacks a game during that month, but also stacked his stat sheet by affecting the entire game.

After losing Watt in the opening game of their 2022 campaign, getting to the bye week with a healthy Watt (dislocated finger aside) feels as special as his impact truly is. On a team that is struggling to find an identity or keep consistent momentum, Watt is the bold exception to mediocrity.

"He won AFC Player of the Month for September after collecting six sacks, 12 quarterback hits, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and two pass breakups over the Steelers’ first three games. He also had a defensive touchdown, but the sack total is where you have to do a double-take."

Kaboly takes the ridiculous production over the course of Watt's first month, and then the totals as the Steelers go into the bye, and the road ahead looks like it could certainly end with a new NFL sack record-holder being crowned. If you were to ask Watt, none of the individual accolades matter to him, but if his rampage through the league in 2023 helps the Steelers win more, he will definitely be okay with that.

After missing the playoffs by a slim margin in 2022, the Steelers are looking to build on their 3-2 start to the 2023 season. The truth is that, without Watt and the defense, the Steelers are drifting among the bottom feeders of the league and already glancing forward to 2024. Instead, Pittsburgh is right at the top of the division with the Baltimore Ravens.

The 2023 season for the Steelers will come down to whether Watt's dynamic play can overcome a lack of offensive output; it's pretty much that simple. Everything else is complimentary to those two factors, but Watt has his under control. All that's left is for the offense to figure it out.

What will TJ Watt's sack total be at the end of 2023?