Coming out of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season opener, T.J. Watt added yet another accolade to his Hall of Fame résumé. For a ninth time in his career, the standout edge rusher was named the AFC’s Defensive Player of the Week.
He was effectively guaranteed the award the moment he left Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium field last Sunday. Watt notched two sacks in his team’s 20-13 win over the Atlanta Falcons, and scored the decisive points when he returned an interception 35 yards for his first career pick-six.
Long story short, the 31-year-old is not showing any signs of slowing down. For the New England Patriots, that very well could be a problem.
Entering their Week 2 matchup with the Steelers in an 0-1 hole, the Patriots are under pressure already to earn a victory against a team likely to also battle for a playoff spot in the AFC. Earning that win starts with not letting Watt dictate the game like he did versus the Falcons.
The question is how to do that. For Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, one key ingredient is fighting fire with fire: matching the intensity he is guaranteed to bring to the table.
“It’s difficult to play harder than him,” McDaniels told the media on Thursday. “I think it’s probably one of the greatest compliments a coach could give to an opposing player, just the effort and the competitive nature that he demonstrates on literally every play. And so, when you line up against him, whether you’re the tight end, tackle, whoever it is — and he’ll be on both sides of the ball — 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. There are not many players that get as much attention as he does, in terms of the offense trying to limit his production and his impact. The consistency with which he comes through with big plays, week after week, year after year, even though that’s happening is pretty amazing.”
Against the Falcons last week, Watt lined up in his usual spot on the defensive left edge on 32 of 38 defensive snaps. The task of matching his competitive stamina on Sunday will therefore primarily fall on veteran Morgan Moses, a player well-familiar with the six-time All-Pro.
Last year, Moses and Watt lined up opposite one another 60 times. The Patriots wisely shied away from exclusively trying their luck in 1-on-1 combat, using a variety of blocking structures to limit his impact. And even so, he finished the game with four quarterback pressures, including two sacks. He also forced a fumble and recovered one to help set up Pittsburgh’s game-winning drive.
Unsurprisingly, Moses knows the challenge that awaits.
“The same T.J. Watt. He never changes,” he said. “Consistent, knack for the ball, great pass rusher. He’s going to play every down full speed. That’s what you get from him.”
Moses was beaten for one of Watt’s sacks the last time they faced off in Week 3 of the 2025 season. For him, this latest battle against the star defender will be more than a physical one, however. He knows his mental game also needs to be on point.
“It’s a mental appointment,” he explained. “You know what he is, you know what he stands for. He’s been the face of that team for a long time. And so, anytime you have a guy who not just fills the stat sheet on sacks but PBUs, interceptions, forced fumbles, the things that he does that create turnovers for that team, you have to be able to obviously block him to the whistle and be ready for that challenge.”
