T.J. Watt Is Back: ESPN Explains Why Steelers Star's Early-Season Success Will Continue
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T.J. Watt Is Back: ESPN Explains Why Steelers Star's Early-Season Success Will Continue originally appeared on SportsNet Pittsburgh. Add SportsNet Pittsburgh as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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T.J. Watt looks like himself again, and ESPN believes the Pittsburgh Steelers star's early-season resurgence is no fluke.
After two seasons that fell short of his usual dominant standard, Watt has returned to the disruptive form that has made him one of the NFL's premier defensive players. Through two weeks, the Steelers edge rusher has recorded 3.5 sacks and one touchdown.
ESPN's Brooke Pryor labeled Watt's early-season success as "real" in an evaluation of the NFL's biggest surprises through the first two weeks.
According to Pryor, Watt's resurgence has been helped by new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham's approach. Watt is playing fewer snaps as part of a carefully managed rotation while also moving around the defensive front more frequently, something he was open to at the start of the season.
Is T.J. Watt’s early success for real, or just a mirage? 👀
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Is Watt back to his dominant ways, #Steelers fans? #herewego#steelersnation#thesickpodcast@MikedUpSports1@JYorkFootballpic.twitter.com/6UFZynVwZo
That combination has allowed Watt to stay fresher while making it more difficult for opposing offenses to anticipate where he will attack.
"A better rested and more unpredictable Watt? That's a nightmare for O-coordinators," Pryor wrote.
The results have already been significant. Watt's 3.5 sacks rank second in the NFL through two weeks, trailing only Buffalo Bills edge rusher Greg Rousseau.
Pro Football Focus provides another indication that Watt's strong start is sustainable.
Watt currently leads all edge defenders with a 91.3 PFF grade through Week 2. He has recorded four sacks and seven total pressures on 38 pass-rush snaps, producing an 18.4% pressure rate despite facing a double-team on 42.1% of those pass-rush opportunities.
His performance against the run has been just as impressive. Watt has recorded three stops on 30 run-defense snaps and has yet to record a negatively graded play in that area, according to PFF.
The Steelers will need Watt to maintain that level of production as the season progresses, particularly with Graham's defensive scheme continuing to put him in different positions to make an impact.
Through two weeks, ESPN believes what Pittsburgh is seeing from Watt is more than a hot start. The numbers suggest the same.