PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) Other than excusing Ben Roethlisberger, Mike Tomlin didn’t tip his hand regarding what other key Steelers will not play in the regular season finale in Cleveland.
Although he isn’t among the older players, 26-year old TJ Watt has certainly earned a weekend off plus he plays with a never-ending effort that deserves a rest. However, there is a school of thought that Tomlin should let Watt play at least a little bit to put up more numbers and solidify his case as Defensive Player Of The Year.
The thing is, Watt doesn’t need to.
Through 15 games, the soon-to-be two-time All-Pro linebacker has a good chance to win what could be called the NFL’s “Front Seven Triple Crown” – Sacks, Tackles For Loss and Quarterback Hits.
The only person standing in Watt’s way is – guess who – Aaron Donald. But with 13.5 sacks, Donald would need 2 on Sunday to pass Watt, who has 15. Watt’s 23 TFLs is 6 more than Chicago’s Roquan Smith and his 41 QB hits dwarfs the 31 recorded by Cincinnati’s Carl Lawson.
Quite simply, Watt’s play continues to be out of this world. And it really is, according to Tomlin.
“TJ is visiting from another planet, to be quite honest with you” Tomlin said during his weekly Tuesday Zoom. “He has freakishly unique talent coupled with freakishly unique work habits and mindset. It produces what you guys see every week which, in my opinion, is Defensive Player Of The Year quality.”
Which Watt should be, whether he pads his stats Sunday in Cleveland or not.