The Pittsburgh Steelers will look to improve their record to 8-4 on the 2023 season in Week 13. They'll face the Arizona Cardinals, who have had their struggles this year, as they sit at 2-10 through 12 weeks of football. The Cardinals got their quarterback Kyler Murray back from injury in Week 10, and TJ Watt will be looking to make his life difficult on Sunday. Cardinals Head Coach Jonathan Gannon spoke about Watt and explained why he is the best defensive player in the world during his weekly press conference on Wednesday.
Steelers.com
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker, TJ Watt (90).
Steelers' Watt Praised By Opposing Head Coach
Watt is coming off a great game in the Steelers' Week 12 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals where he had two sacks and a forced fumble. He is currently tied for the league-lead in sacks with 13.5 through 11 games, and will look to add to his total against Murray and the Cardinals offense. Gannon knows what Watt is capable of, and why he is such a threat to his opponents.
"I mean you could make the argument he is the best player on defense in the world, and you wouldn't get a rebuttal from me. When you watch the tape, just what he does in the run game, in the pass game, effecting the quarterback, the ball. He is very ball aware, a high takeaway guy. They drop him and he makes interceptions. He's all over the field, plays with a super high motor. We definitely have to have our eye on that guy all the time."
Watt can be characterized as a game-wrecker. Whenever he gets a sack, he can always be seen trying to rip the ball out of the quarterback's hand to try and force a fumble. He has done so three times so far in 2023. He also has an interception, six passes defensed, 12 tackles for loss, and even recovered a fumble and returned it for a touchdown. It's understandable why he is so daunting for opposing coaches to game plan against, he is a turnover machine and always finds himself in the offensive backfield.
Don Wright / AP
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker TJ Watt is making his mark on the 2023 season with DPOY in his sights yet again.
Watt has played against the Cardinals just one time in his career. He didn't have any sacks, but he did have an interception in the game which the Steelers won by a score of 23-17. In 2023, Watt is considered one of the frontrunners to win the NFL's Defensive Player Of The Year Award and he would like to add to his campaign with a strong performance against Arizona. Watt will mainly be lining up across from Paris Johnson Jr. who was the sixth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Johnson Jr. has played 100 percent of Arizona's offensive snaps in 2023 and has had a really solid rookie season, but he will be facing a difficult test on Sunday.
Lucy Schaly / Post-Gazette
Steelers' TJ Watt hits 49ers' Brock Purdy.
The Cardinals are ranked in the top half of the league when it comes to turning the ball over, they've done a pretty good job with ball security. The Steelers on the other hand, are third in the league at taking the ball away from their opponents. Watt and the rest of the defensive unit will be looking to force Murray to make some mistakes on Sunday and will have to consistently disrupt him in the backfield. A key for the Steelers to win this game will be winning the turnover battle, which is something Pittsburgh has succeeded at all season.
The Cardinals began this season with a lackluster roster, and their star quarterback battling back from an ACL injury that he suffered in 2022. They have been thought to be tanking all season long, but now that they got their quarterback back from injury, they have shown some life. They won in Murray's first game back against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 10, and then played the Houston Texans close in Week 11 before collapsing against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 12. The Steelers should win this game, but it will be no cake walk.
What do you think of Gannon's comments on Watt? Let us know in the comments below!
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