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T.J. Watt has been nothing short of dominant since entering the league in 2017. Since entering the NFL, he has 49.5 sacks to his name. That's the third most, only behind Aaron Donald and Chandler Jones. Watt came in at a time when the Pittsburgh Steelers were desperate for an edge rusher. He's exceeded their expectations and then some.
T.J. Watt held in at Steelers training camp because he demanded a contract extension. He was on his fifth-year option but wanted his long-term future secured. Negotiations were tied up due to disagreements on guaranteed money past the first year. But the Steelers eventually caved in and gave Watt his deal on Thursday. With that in mind, how ready is Watt for Week One?
Is T.J. Watt playing today against the Bills?
After receiving his payday, Watt will be playing in Week One. By holding in at training camp, Watt worked out individually to stay in shape. He did individual drills but sat out when it came time for team drills. When asked about T.J. Watt, Ben Roethlisberger mentioned that Watt's been working hard.
"So we all feel bad for T.J. Everyone knows how bad he wants to be out there. He was here every single day and he didn't need to be, working, busting his butt. He should get taken care of."
The Buffalo Bills present a tough matchup that Watt is needed for
The Buffalo Bills retained 21 of their 22 starters on offense from 2020. Emmanuel Sanders is the only new piece, and reports are he's fit like a glove. The Bills offensive line is excellent in pass protection. Dion Dawkins and Daryl Williams are tough matchups for opposing edge rushers.
The Steelers were the best in the NFL in sacks last year. T.J. Watt had 15 sacks and 41 QB hits alone. Their pass rush remains one of their biggest strengths, and they'll need to perform well against Josh Allen.
Allen was the MVP runner-up last year and is a threat to win it this year. Allen held onto the ball longer than a lot of quarterbacks to set up big plays for Stefon Diggs. Allen was 6-0 when going against top-ten ranked defenses last year.
The Steelers might regress, but are still a top-ten defense heading into the season. Having T.J. Watt on the field is critical in being able to slow the Bills down. The odds of them shutting down the Bills are slim. If they can slow them down, that gives the offense an opportunity to give them a chance at winning.
The Steelers will meet the Bills at Highmark Stadium, one of the loudest arenas in the NFL. The game is scheduled for kickoff at 1 ET.
