A Pittsburgh Steelers defensive player, T.J. Watt, surpassed a renowned NFL figure in a truly memorable fashion. Not only did Watt exceed the NFL sack record of his brother, J.J. Watt, but he accomplished this feat during a play that resulted in a touchdown … with his brother providing commentary for the game.
This pivotal moment unfolded early in the second quarter on Sunday. Watt managed to penetrate the Chicago Bears’ offensive line and executed a strip sack on Caleb Williams. Steelers linebacker Nick Herbig recovered the loose ball in the end zone, securing a touchdown and giving the Steelers the lead.
This sack marked T.J. Watt’s 115th career sack across his nine seasons in the NFL, surpassing J.J.’s career total of 114.5 sacks accumulated over 12 seasons before retirement.
J.J., who was commentating on the game, acknowledged his brother’s achievement, describing the play as “one heck of a way to do it.”
However, J.J. soon embraced the opportunity for some playful banter. As the broadcast prepared to transition to a commercial break, broadcaster Ian Eagle joked that “T.J. Watt is No. 1 in the family for now.” J.J. humorously responded with “Ouch.”
Upon the broadcast’s return from the commercial, J.J. continued with the playful exchange, jokingly suggesting he might consider ending his retirement to reclaim his family record.
“Well, that’s it. I’m gonna put the pads back on because this is preposterous,” J.J. quipped.
We assume J.J.’s comments about a potential comeback were made in jest. The future Hall of Famer has been retired since the conclusion of the 2022 NFL season. Nevertheless, at 36 years old, it is conceivable that he could still deliver another season with double-digit sacks.
And in the unlikely scenario that anyone believed Watt was genuinely upset about being surpassed by his brother, that was not the case. The broadcast returned from halftime with a video message from the third Watt brother — Derek — who expressed great pride in T.J.’s achievement.
“Wow, T.J., What an incredible play,” Derek exclaimed. “Just passed J.J. in the all-time sacks, buddy. Congratulations. So glad we could be here. “
J.J. responded to Derek’s message with a heartfelt comment about how special it was to share this moment with his family present at the game.
“It was really special to have everybody here,” J.J. said. “I didn’t think it would be a big moment for us, because we just go about it. But to have Derek, who played eight years in the NFL, and T.J. go past my record and my parents here, it really is a pretty cool emotional day. We used to dream about days like these.”
It certainly appears that J.J. is genuinely happy for his younger brother’s accomplishment of holding the most NFL sacks within the Watt family. If there was any sting of disappointment, J.J. did not reveal it. This is understandable, as J.J. has little reason to feel anything but pride in his NFL career. He was a dominant pass rusher in his era and is destined for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
T.J. is currently on a similar career path, so J.J.’s status as the sole Watt family member in the Hall of Fame may not endure for too long. If Sunday’s events are any indication, he will be perfectly content with that outcome.
