Steelers’ key player finishes 2023 as the NFL’s sack leader

admin | January 8, 2024 | Other Clubs | No Comments

It was his third season as league leader in sacks.

T.J. Watt, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ standout edge rusher, had his 2023 regular season cut short by an MCL sprain, but he still managed another record-breaking season.

Watt officially closes the year as the NFL sack leader with 19, becoming the first player in NFL history to lead the league in sacks three times. He led the NFL in sacks with 15 in 2020 and 22.5 in 2021, tying Michael Strahan’s previous official sack record set in 2001.

NFL sack leaders (2023)

1. T.J Watt (PIT) — 19.0

T-2. Trey Hendrickson (CIN) — 17.5

T-2. Josh Allen (JAX) — 17.5

4. Khalil Mack (LAC) — 17.0

5. Danielle Hunter (MIN) — 16.5

Watt broke the tie for the most seasons as the NFL sack leader, which was previously held by six other players, including Strahan, Reggie White, and his brother J.J. Watt, who each did it twice in their careers. Watt began the last weekend tied with Cincinnati’s Trey Hendrickson in sacks with 17, but he only had two before leaving the game against the Ravens with a knee injury. Watt also led the league in quarterback hits with 36.

He has 96.5 sacks in his seven-year career. Watt has made the Pro Bowl in six of his seven seasons, missing it only once in his rookie year. Watt, the Steelers’ all-time sack leader, had a first-ballot Hall of Fame resume before the age of 30 and has many more years to add to his stats.

Despite Watt’s accomplishments this season, Browns DE Myles Garrett and Cowboys EDGE Micah Parsons have spent the most time atop the league in NFL Defensive Player of the Year odds. Though he’s expected to lose time with a knee injury, the Steelers’ season isn’t done yet, with a win over the Ravens and a defeat to the Jacksonville Jaguars clinching a ticket to the Wild Card Round of the 2023 NFL Playoffs, which could mean we haven’t seen the last of him.