T.J. Watt joins rare company with a historic game in season-opener

In a tight battle with the Atlanta Falcons during Week 1, the Pittsburgh Steelers held a narrow three-point lead in the fourth quarter, and with the Falcons on the move offensively, it looked like a real possibility that the Mike McCarthy era could begin with a loss. That’s when T.J. Watt stepped up to save the day.

Watt picked off Cooper Rush behind the line of scrimmage, before taking the turnover 35 yards into the endzone to boost the Steelers to a 10-point lead, which would eventually be enough to secure a season-opening win in the Steel City. It was Watt’s first-career pick six, but his 10th-career interception. That puts him among rarefied air, as he joined Julius Pepper as just the second player in NFL history to record 100+ career sacks and 10+ career interceptions.

T.J. Watt joins Julius Peppers as the only players with 100+ sacks and 10+ INT, since sacks were first tracked in 1982 🔥

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In addition to the interception, Watt finished the game with four tackles and two sacks. Now, the 10-year veteran’s all-time stat line sits at 358 tackles, 139 tackles for a loss, 117 sacks and 10 interceptions. Watt is no stranger to success, in the league, as he is an eight-time Pro Bowler, four-time first-team All-Pro, former Defensive Player of the Year, and second on the all-time single-season sack list behind Myles Garrett. Now, he has another accomplishment to add to his resume.

Now, the biggest accomplishment eluding Watt is victory in the postseason, as he spent the entirety of his career playing under the leadership of Mike Tomlin, whose last playoff win came during the 2016 season – one year before Watt’s debut in the league. But with the Steelers off to a 1-0 start, they have perhaps taken the first step toward adding that accolade to Watt’s long list of successes as well.

This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: T.J. Watt joins rare company with a historic game in season-opener