T.J. Watt secured his ninth AFC Defensive Player of the Week award after Week 1, absolutely dominating the Atlanta Falcons with two sacks and a 35-yard pick-six that sealed the win. Yeah, you read that right, his first career pick-six! The 31-year-old edge rusher is clearly not showing any signs of slowing down, and that is a massive problem for the New England Patriots. They are already sitting in an 0-1 hole heading into their Week 2 clash with the Steelers, feeling the heat to grab a victory against a team that is absolutely going to battle for a playoff spot in the AFC.
Watt Is Playing With His Hair on Fire, and Nobody Is Ready
How do you even begin to stop a guy like that? Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels isn’t sugarcoating it. He told the media that fighting Watt means matching his intensity with “competitive stamina.” McDaniels gave a huge compliment, saying, “It’s difficult to play harder than him… the effort and the competitive nature that he demonstrates on literally every play.” Think about that. Every single snap, this dude is coming at you. McDaniels knows that when you line up against Watt, you “have to do a great job of having great competitive stamina. Because that’s what he’s going to play with. And the minute you let up, he always seems to capitalize.” He’s not wrong. Watt gets crazy attention from offenses trying to limit him, but he still delivers big plays “week after week, year after year.” That kind of consistency is just wild.
The Brutal Task Awaiting Morgan Moses
So, who is taking on this beast? Against the Falcons, Watt lined up in his usual spot on the defensive left edge for 32 of 38 snaps. That means a huge part of this monumental task on Sunday falls squarely on veteran Morgan Moses. This isn’t their first rodeo, either. Moses and Watt went head-to-head 60 times last year. Even then, the Patriots were smart, shying away from constant 1-on-1 battles and using “a variety of blocking structures” to try and slow him down. Did it work? Well, Watt still finished that game with four quarterback pressures, including two sacks. He even forced a fumble and recovered one, which helped set up Pittsburgh’s game-winning drive. Moses knows exactly what’s coming: “The same T.J. Watt. He never changes. Consistent, knack for the ball, great pass rusher. He’s going to play every down full speed. That’s what you get from him.” He even got beaten by Watt for a sack back in Week 3 of the 2025 season. This rematch is personal.
This Week 2 showdown isn’t just another game for the Patriots. Sitting at 0-1, they desperately need a win against a strong AFC opponent to avoid digging an even deeper hole. Can they actually match T.J. Watt’s “competitive stamina” for four full quarters? It is going to be a brutal battle in the trenches, and every single snap will count. Get ready for a slugfest, because if the Patriots blink, Watt is going to make them pay.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pats Pulpit.
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