Wisconsin legend clinches Week 1 win for Pittsburgh Steelers

One of the greatest Wisconsin defenders of all time wreaked havoc against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

T.J. Watt, who played 27 games at linebacker for Wisconsin from 2015-16, sacked Falcons’ quarterback Kirk Cousins to clinch the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 18-10 opening weekend win in Atlanta.

Watt did nearly everything a defender could do to disrupt an opposing offense on Sunday. The six-time Pro Bowler recorded four total tackles, two of those being tackles for loss, one sack, three quarterback hits and a fumble recovery at outside linebacker.

In an 18-10 game, the Steelers’ offense held Cousins to 155 air yards and two interceptions. Watt and company also held explosive running back Bijan Robinson to under 70 yards on 18 carries.

The Steelers could credit a majority of the defensive masterclass to Watt. On nearly every defensive sequence, Atlanta’s offensive line could not prevent his onslaught towards the pocket.

In addition to his six Pro Bowl appearances, Watt entered the 2024 season with four First-Team All-Pro honors, 96.5 total sacks and 107 tackles for loss through seven seasons with the Steelers. The Wisconsin native’s trophy shelf also includes a Defensive Player of the Year honor in 2021 and three sack titles (2020, 2021 and 2023).

ESPN recently ranked Watt as the No. 10 player in the NFL ahead of his eighth NFL campaign. Only Browns’ edge Myles Garrett and Cowboys’ edge Micah Parsons were ranked higher on the defensive side of the football.

Watt figures to make a run at his second Defensive Player of the Year honor this season. At age 29, he’s as disruptive of a force as one could find across the NFL.

Pittsburgh will face Denver in its second game of the season on the road on Sept. 15.