With his strip sack on Caleb Williams in the second quarter, T.J. Watt has surpassed his brother J.J. Watt on the NFL all-time sack leaderboard with 115.0 career sacks, which is 35th-most.
Nick Herbig recovered the loose ball in the end zone for a touchdown to give the Steelers a 14-7 lead over the Chicago Bears .
Watt reached 100 career sacks in Week 5 of last year. Watt not only joined the 100-sack club, but he also became the second-fastest player to reach 100 sacks, behind only Hall of Famer Reggie White, who did it in 96 games. Watt accomplished the feat in 109 career games.
Watt broke James Harrison 's franchise sack record (80.5) in Week 2 of 2023. Watt is the third player since 1982 with 100 sacks before turning 30.
J.J. Watt said last year that he believes his brother will shatter all of his records.
"If he stays healthy, he's gonna surpass every single record I've ever set… Kid's incredible," J.J. Watt said.
With another NFL Defensive Player of the Year award, Watt would become the second Steelers player in franchise history to win DPOY twice, joining legend Joe Greene (1972, 1974). Watt won DPOY in 2021 when he tied the NFL single-season sack record with 22.5.
Injuries derailed his 2022 campaign, but Watt got edged out by Myles Garrett for the DPOY award in 2023. Many would argue that Watt was snubbed given that he had better stats than Garrett in almost every major defensive statistic category.
Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt during a game against the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 14, 2025 — Ed Thompson.
Watt suffered an ankle injury on Dec. 15 last year, in the Steelers' loss to the Philadelphia Eagles . He did not miss a game, but had the least effective stretch of his season after the injury.
In the final three games of the 2024 regular season and the Steelers' Wild Card playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens , he combined for no sacks, seven tackles, one tackle for loss and one pass defended.
He finished the season with 11.5 sacks, the third-fewest of his career, after his rookie season and 2022, when he missed seven games with a pectoral injury. Watt also had 61 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 27 quarterback hits and an NFL-leading six forced fumbles. He was a finalist to win the Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award.
In 2025, Watt has recorded seven sacks, 37 total tackles (15 solo), seven tackles for loss, one interception, two force fumbles, two fumble recoveries and five passes defended.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : T.J. Watt Surpasses Brother J.J. on All-Time Sack List
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