T.J. Watt joins brother J.J. Watt, Reggie White, and Derrick Thomas in achieving impressive milestone

When the Pittsburgh Steelers made T.J. Watt the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history, it was for games like Monday's game. In Week 9 against the Chicago Bears, Watt had his best game of the season.

He was a terror for rookie quarterback Justin Fields. But Watt also made NFL history in the Steelers' 29-27 victory.

Watt had three sacks on Fields, increasing his career total to 61. But it was his second sack of the game that earned him a place in NFL history.

T.J. Watt became the fourth-fastest player in NFL history to achieve 60 career sacks. Of the three players who did it faster, two are NFL legends, Reggie White and Derrick Thomas. The third is Watt's older brother, J.J. Watt.

T.J. Watt joins J.J. Watt, Reggie White, and Derrick Thomas in achieving an impressive milestone

Watt is on pace to have a historic NFL career, and this milestone is just one of many he'll have before he retires.

White holds the record for fastest player to reach the milestone, having done so in 50 games. J.J. Watt did it the second-fastest, taking 66 games to accomplish the feat.

He beat Thomas by one game, who did it in 67 games. T.J. Watt took 69 games to get there.

Watt's sacks were timely for the Steelers against the Bears. As the game went on, Fields became more comfortable picking apart the Steelers' zone defense.

But Watt was there to remind him that the Steelers' pass rush was the best unit on the field.

During their win over the Bears, T.J. Watt became the fifth all-time leader in Steelers' sacks. He surpassed his former linebackers coach Joey Porter and teammate Cameron Heyward.

He's now 16 sacks away from Jason Gildon in fourth place. More importantly, he's only 19.5 sacks behind the legendary James Harrison for the franchise's all-time lead.

Watt is on pace to break that record by the end of next season.

T.J. Watt is already an all-time Steelers great

Despite just turning 27 years old, T.J. Watt has stamped his name in Steelers' history. The Steel Curtain has produced countless Hall of Fame talent over the decades, and Watt is on pace to join those legendary players.

Watt figures to have a few dominant prime years left in the tank as long as he stays healthy. J.J. Watt had a similar start to his career before injuries mounted on him starting in his sixth season.

Next season will be T.J. Watt's sixth season in the league. The Steelers are hoping Watt stays healthy so he can continue at this historic pace.

As the Steelers prepare for life after Ben Roethlisberger next year, Watt will be a constant mainstay who makes life for opponents miserable.

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