The Pittsburgh Steelers weren’t just winners in Week 18, beating the Baltimore Ravens 17-10, but they kept their playoff hopes alive in the process. The help they needed came through, and the Steelers now prepare for the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card Round in the AFC Playoffs.

If there was a player the team absolutely can credit their success to, both offensively and defensively, it would be T.J. Watt. Watt’s game in Week 18 didn’t just spur the team to victory, but also earned him AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors. For those that don’t know, Watt finished the game with two sacks, finishing the season with an NFL leading 19 sacks for the year. Watt become the first player to lead the NFL in sacks three times, doing so in 2020, 2021 and 2023.

.@_TJWatt has been named AFC Defensive Player of the Week!

📝: https://t.co/ZPmeAGw5S9 pic.twitter.com/1QaScefz1h

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) January 10, 2024

Unfortunately, Watt didn’t just have a great performance, but he left the game with a knee injury. The PCL injury is keeping him out of the playoffs, but doesn’t degrade the honor Watt earned from the NFL in Week 18.

This from the Steelers official website when talking about the honors Watt has earned not just this season, but in his career:

“Watt was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Month for September this year, when he finished that month with six sacks, 11 tackles, nine of them solo stops, 12 quarterback hits, five tackles for a loss, two passes defensed, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries, including one he returned 16 yards for a touchdown.

“This is the seventh time Watt has won the honor, previously doing so twice in 2018 (Weeks 1 and 5), once in 2020 (Week 2) and three times in 2021 (Weeks 6, 13 and 17).”

Be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Wild Card Round of the AFC Playoffs.