It has been a quiet season for Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt. A partially torn pectoral cost Watt seven games but in the three games since his return, he only has .5 sacks. However, in those three games, the Steelers are 2-1.
This is all Watt cares about. He made it abundantly clear he doesn’t care anything about individual stats as long as Pittsburgh is winning. “As long as we win games, I don’t give a(n) expletive,” Watt said.
Last season Watt tied the single-season sack record with 22.5 but this season has been a wash with the pectoral injury. Nevertheless, the impact of Watt being on the field, even if he isn’t showing up in the box score is impossible to ignore.
In Watt’s absence, linebacker Alex Highmisth has taken over as the Steelers top pass rusher. Highsmith has 10.0 sacks on the season but admittedly many of those have come in games where Watt has played. Watt has 1.5 sacks in four games. 6.5 of Highsmith’s sacks have come in those four games.