T.J. Watt has further strengthened his case as arguably the greatest defensive player of his era. The Pittsburgh Steelers pass rusher and 2021 Defensive Player of the Year has reached yet another milestone by becoming the second-faster player to reach 100 career sacks during Sunday night’s game against the Dallas Cowboys.
He hit 100 sacks on the dot by splitting a strip-sack of Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott with Steelers linebacker Nick Herbig on the final play of the first quarter. The sack, which came on a third-and-6 play from the Pittsburgh 11, was incredibly clutch as it kept the Week 5 showdown tied at three. Watt needed only 109 games to reach 100 career sacks. The player to get there faster was Hall of Fame pass rusher Reggie White, who did so in 96 games.
Watt is also the first Steelers player to reach 100 sacks. He is also the second-youngest player to reach 100 sacks and the third player to reach that milestone before turning 30, joining White and four-time All-Pro Jared Allen.
Watt, who will turn 30 on Oct. 11, is arguably this era’s premier pass rusher. Along with being the Steelers’ career sack leader, Watt has paced the NFL in sacks three of the last five years. In 2021, Watt tied Michael Strahan’s single-season record of 22.5 sacks.
But despite all of his accolades, Watt is focused on winning a postseason game, a goal that has alluded him to this point in his career.
“I’m not about the individual goals anymore,” Watt told CBS Sports last summer. “I’ve set myself up nice where I’ve been having a good career but it doesn’t matter if you’re not winning games when they matter most. I think that’s objective No. 1, for sure.”
