Steelers' TJ Watt Finally Manages To Surprise Brother JJ Watt On Amazing Play Sunday

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been reliant on their defense throughout the first part of the 2023 season, and it has gotten them to a 4-2 record so far. With the offense and Matt Canada struggling to put points on the board, it's been up to Pittsburgh's defensive playmakers to do the heavy lifting. After TJ Watt made yet another game-wrecking play during their Week 7 victory over the Los Angeles Rams, his brother JJ Watt said he was actually impressed by his little brother - something that doesn't happen often.

Steelers' TJ Watt Wowed His Brother

The elder Watt joined Pat McAfee for his weekly segment on The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday, and, as per usual, the subject of what the younger Watt accomplished on the football field came up. This time, though, there was something different from Watt breaking down his younger brother's plays and praising the talents that are apparent on film; the older Watt was actually impressed by what he saw.

Pittsburgh's Watt is known for taking over games, but this particular play was just something else entirely. Usually, Watt breaks through the line for a savage strip sack, knocks a pass down at the line, or even bats a pass into his own arms at the line of scrimmage for an interception. All these things we have seen before, and so has his older brother, but on Sunday, the Steelers' Watt showed another level to his football skills.

In their Week 7 meeting with the Los Angeles Rams, TJ Watt changed it up, and instead of rushing the passer, he dropped back into coverage and then, with the kind of moves you usually see from guys like Joey Porter Jr., Watt stepped in front of the receiver and picked the pass off. The fluidity of the play is what made it so shocking because before you knew it, Watt was lumbering down the field and changing the game entirely for the Steelers. Along with the entire football world, his older brother was blown away by the interception, something that hardly ever happens between the two siblings.

"Yeah, this is one of those plays where I actually, like - a lot of stuff he [TJ Watt] does, I'm like, okay, alright, nice play, good play. This is one where I was like, alright, I'm actually impressed by this play!"

The retired Watt went on to break down his brother's play, showing how the quarterback was actually baited into throwing it right where Watt wanted it to go. For a player who has excelled by making quarterbacks hit the ground, this was a whole new way to get inside their heads. His older brother could hardly contain the massive smile as he described the interception to McAfee and his crew. JJ Watt never shies away from telling the world how great his brother is, but this was an entirely different kind of praise that came from someone watching their brother mature before their eyes.

"He kinda baits them into this throw here, leaving it open and then breaking at the exact perfect time, coming across and making a play. I mean, he legitimately looked like a proper defensive back or linebacker here. I mean, he's making this break before Matt [Stafford] even takes his front hand off the ball, already knowing where he's gonna try and go with it. I mean, that is a h*** of a play!"

In a season where the 2023 Steelers need every single bit of defensive help to win games, Watt is answering the call and then some. From the ability to get the throw to his zone, make the play, and then return the interception deep into the Rams' territory, it was all superb. However, just because it shocked and wowed us all doesn't mean that Pittsburgh's Watt will keep a souvenir of the moment.

Steelers' Watt Probably Didn't Keep The Ball

After JJ Watt finishes going through the play his younger brother made, McAfee asks a question I don't know if many of us considered: did Watt keep the football after that interception as a token or memory of that brilliant moment? While one may assume that TJ Watt would certainly want to remember that play, the elder Watt doesn't believe that his brother ended up keeping the ball.

"I don't know if he'd keep that one, I think if he scored he might keep it."

Watt went on to reveal a fun tidbit regarding the rules about keeping footballs from certain plays, at least between the Watt brothers. Apparently, the big rule is that if you recovered a fumble, then you never kept those footballs. The point of keeping the ball was because you had personally done something to create the play, but on fumble recoveries, Watt and his younger sibling never considered the recovery a key part of the play.

"Fumble recoveries. Like, we never ever keep a fumble recovery because we didn't do anything special. We just fell on a ball that was laying on the ground."

According to the older Watt, when those fumble recovery plays would happen, they would try and hand him the ball, and he would refuse and say that he didn't do anything to deserve the ball. This unwritten rule of keeping footballs was mutually agreed to by the Watt brothers, giving an interesting insight into a practice that fans don't often get to hear about.

Regardless of whether Watt ended up keeping the ball from that interception, the Steelers will certainly remember that as the moment the game shifted in favor of Pittsburgh. With the 2023 offense still trying to find its feet, Watt will need to have many more of those sorts of plays, even if he decides not to keep the ball afterward.

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