T.J. Watt Joins Exclusive Club In Steelers’ Week 4 Win Over Vikings

T.J. Watt made his presence felt during the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Week 4 win over the Minnesota Vikings.

Watt registered his 111th career sack during Sunday’s 24-21 victory in Ireland. While that’s a familiar sight for Steelers fans, the star pass rusher also picked off Carson Wentz for his eighth career interception.

That pick places Watt in an elusive club. As noted by NFL researcher Dante Koplowitz-Fleming, Watt joins Julius Peppers and Jason Taylor as the only defenders in the last 30 years with at least eight interceptions and 100 sacks. The NFL made sacks an official stat in 1982.

Watt single-handedly derailed a Minnesota drive during the third quarter. After sacking Wentz on second down, tying Aaron Donald for 29th on the official all-time leaderboard, he picked off the veteran quarterback on the next play and returned the ball to the 35.

Pittsburgh’s offense capitalized on the short field, increasing its lead to 21-6 with Kenneth Gainwell’s second touchdown of the game. Watt appreciated the magnitude of the game-changing takeaway after telling reporters that he still likes his sacks more.

“Sacking the quarterback, probably,” Watt said when asked to pick his preference. “But turning the ball over is huge. Being able to make an impact play like that for the team, put seven points on the board after that, was huge.”

Watt hadn’t notched an interception since Week 7 of the 2023 season, but observers were more concerned about him going six straight games without a sack. The four-time All-Pro snapped that drought with two in last Sunday’s win over the New England Patriots, and he has two quarterback hits in three straight games.

Watt will look to keep the sacks — and perhaps also the picks — coming when the Steelers return to the United States to host the Cleveland Browns after a Week 5 bye.

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