The Pittsburgh Steelers used the first half of the game against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1 to shake off the offseason rust. The Falcons opened with a run from Bijan Robinson, leading a drive that had fans a bit nervous about what was to come. After all, the media had been hyping the Falcons' new quarterback, Kirk Cousins, and his return for months. The Black and Gold defense halted their drive, and the Falcons were forced to kick a field goal.
As usual, TJ Watt was part of the spark that lit the Steelers' defense on fire. On that first drive, he tackled Robinson in the backfield for a loss of three yards. Of course, Watt didn't stop there. While the official stats only show four total tackles and a sack, the phenomenal edge rusher's presence was visible on nearly every drive.
Falcons Head Coach Raheem Morris warned Watt ahead of the game that he wouldn't be allowed to dominate and that the Atlanta offense had a plan to contain him. Watt didn't take kindly to being controlled, and he made sure they knew it. On top of having a massive walk-off sack to end the game, Watt had two other strip sacks that were both negated by questionable penalty calls.
Watt wasn't the only defender to have a solid game; it felt like this whole unit was playing at a high level. Newcomers Donte Jackson and DeShon Elliott were each responsible for an interception. Jackson came to Pittsburgh as part of the Diontae Johnson trade. Based on Jackson's performance the last season with the Carolina Panthers, many Steelers fans felt Pittsburgh lost that trade. However, the media has been praising Jackson ever since training camp.
His hard work paid off against the Falcons. Jackson seemed to be everywhere. He had two tackles, two passes defended, and that interception. Recently, Jeff Hawthorn, the Sports Director for 93.7 The Fan, joined their Morning Show with Adam Crowley and Dorin Dickerson. They mentioned they were impressed by Jackson's performance, and Hawthorn said that he wasn't surprised; it's what he's seen since arriving in the Steel City. Hawthorn added that Jackson gives some credit to his teammates.
"He's been good all camp," said Hawthorn. "He's built a good relationship with Joey [Porter Jr.]. He's come in, he talks a big game, he's confident, he believes he's better than what he showed last year. He admitted it's nice that T.J. Watt is on your team. Quarterbacks will make 'dumb passes' when T.J. Watt's in your face. But one game in and he's been solid. What you saw in the game is what we've seen in practice, is him playing a pretty good corner."
Jackson also praised his coaches and said after the game that he was grateful for their in-game adjustments. He spoke about that initial drive and how Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts had been able to get open, and said that coaches saw that and made the necessary changes to close that gap. This is something that did not feel evident with the 2023 defense.
Hopefully, all of this signals a change in a positive direction for the highest-paid defense in the NFL.
Steelers' TJ Watt Wasn't Very Happy With The Officials
Watt joked about his walk-off strip sack after the Falcons game with the media. He said he thinks it is the first one he's ever had, and he had to make sure they hadn't thrown another flag in his direction when it happened. The officials throwing another flag wasn't outside of the realm of possibility, considering the way the game had been officiated up to that point.
Steelers.com
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker, TJ Watt.
This had to feel validating for Watt, who is among the best players in the league. Last year, Watt was snubbed for the NFL AP Defensive Player of the Year Award in favor of the Cleveland Browns star, Myles Garrett. There were numerous questionable calls and it felt like the game was being officiated in a lopsided fashion.
