Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro edge rusher, TJ Watt is an indomitable force on the field. He appears to possess an otherworldly strength and presence of mind that allows him to zero in on the opposing quarterback and the ball, making some of the biggest defensive plays of the season.
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Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker, TJ Watt.
Watt was snubbed at the end of the 2023 NFL season for the AP Defensive Player of the Year Award, thus creating rumors that the league has an "agenda." This snub occurred, although Watt led the NFL in most statistical categories for his position. One of those categories that Watt led in is sacks, with 19.
He was awarded the AP Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2021 after tying former New York Giants defensive end, Michael Strahan, for the single-season sack record with 22.5. Now, a former player is speaking out, saying he has already beaten both Watt and Strahan's records, with 23 sacks.
Jared Allen, a defensive end who spent 12 years in the league (playing primarily for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Minnesota Vikings), said the record is his. On a recent episode of Up and Adams, with host Kay Adams, Allen pled his case.
The Vikings were terrible in 2011, going 3-13, yet somehow Allen managed to rack up sack after sack. He told Adams he is still frustrated that the NFL took away his sack on then-Green Bay Packers quarterback, Aaron Rodgers.
"I had 23 that year. They took a sack from me. Monday Night Football, Aaron Rodgers, called it a muff on Wednesday. They gave it a team sack instead of giving it to me. I'm on the team, so I should at least get half of it; I'm the one that tacked the man. Took my 23rd sack," explained Allen.
During the first quarter of that game, Rodgers fumbled the ball after a shotgun-style snap. Rodgers threw himself on the ball, and Allen threw himself on Rodgers to ensure the play ended. Immediately following the play, Allen was awarded a sack.
After the fact, as the NFL occasionally does, they changed the stat and credited the whole defense with the sack, per the rules on muffed snaps and fumbles. In the case of a muff and fumble, the defender doesn't get the sack; instead, it is a defensive stat.
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Former Vikings defensive end, Jared Allen falls on top of Aaron Rodgers.
The only way Allen could have been awarded a sack in this situation is if Rodgers cleanly recovered the ball and made a football move, attempting to advance the ball down the field. Instead, the ball bounced on the way to Rodgers, and the quarterback went into protective mode as Allen was there right away, wrapping his legs up to tackle him.
"I mean, he made a football move, so that's a fumble; that's not a muff as they called it," said Allen as he walked Adams through the video of the play.
Adams is irate on behalf of Allen, exclaiming that it is a sack that should have gone to Allen. While it is easy to understand why they feel the way they do, the NFL rulebook does not differentiate between a muff and a fumble and ruled the play correctly as a team sack.
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Pittsburgh Steelers linebackers TJ Watt (90) and Alex Highsmith (56).
That left Allen to wrap up his impressive season with 22 sacks, an impressive feat regardless of the record. It leaves Watt and Strahan tied for the record still at 22.5.
Does TJ Watt Own The Record Alone?
Recently, an analyst uncovered a video from 2001 that shows that one of Strahan's sacks might have been awarded in error. During the play against the Dallas Cowboys, Strahan chased down the quarterback who had crossed the line of scrimmage and was gaining yardage. While it was called a sack at the time, many would say that it was an error. If that is not a sack, then Strahan sits at 21.5, and Watt owns the record on his own.
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Edge rusher TJ Watt after making a play.
Do you think Watt will ever break the record and hold it alone? Why do you think Watt did not win DPOY in 2023? Click to comment below.
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