Perhaps no one had a more dominant start to the 2024 NFL season than Pittsburgh Steelers superstar linebacker TJ Watt. Watt was all over the field during Sunday's Steelers win vs the Atlanta Falcons on the road, consistently getting past Atlanta's weak offensive line and forcing quarterback Kirk Cousins into multiple horrible decisions with the football.
In fact, so strong was Watt's performance that the good folks in Las Vegas have already shifted the odds for a huge honor in his direction after just one week.
According to the BetOnline Sportsbook, Watt is now the favorite to win the NFL's coveted Defensive Player of the Year award, with +350 odds. This places him past Dallas Cowboys superstar Micah Parsons, who was the favorite for the award all offseason and now has +425 odds. Behind those two are reigning Defensive Player of the Year winner Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns, Nick Bosa of the San Francisco 49ers, and Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders.
TJ Watt won the award for his efforts during the 2021 NFL season, in which he tied Michael Strahan's 22.5 sack record, and also finished as a finalist for the award three other times.
How far can the Steelers go this year?
Watt and the Steelers' defense left no doubt that they are still one of the elite units in the NFL during their win over the Falcons on Sunday, constantly forcing pressure as well as multiple turnovers, which would have been more if one wasn't called back due to a questionable offsides penalty on Watt.
The Steelers offense, on the other hand, left a bit to be desired, as backup quarterback Justin Fields and his teammates were unable to punch the ball into the end zone even one time, instead relying on six field goals to give them their final total of 18 points. While that may have been enough to beat the Falcons on Sunday, it probably won't be to defeat some of the more higher octane offenses on the Steelers' schedule this season, even if the defense does continue playing at an elite level.
The Steelers currently have the longest active .500 or better season streak under head coach Mike Tomlin by a country mile, and they will have a good chance to push their record to 2-0 with a road date against the Denver Broncos next week before they finally have their home opener.
The game against the Broncos is slated to kick off at 4:25 PM ET on Sunday.
Follow Us
Subscribe
