FOXBOROUGH, Mass — Morgan Moses has quite the challenge ahead of him.
The Patriots' starting right guard will likely be tasked with covering Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt in Sunday's home opener, as he mostly plays on the left side.
"He's a hell of a player," Moses told Patriots Wire. "He's been there for multiple years, and the things that he's established over the course of his career have been no shorter than amazing. A guy like that, obviously it's a battle. It's a 60-minute, four-quarter game, and you have to pay attention to him and just be able to block that guy until you hear the whistle.
The two faced off during the 2025 season, when the Steelers were at Gillette Stadium in Week 3, where Moses did give up a sack to Watt.
"Obviously,
anytime you get to go up against a great football player, you look forward to it," Moses added. "And you know there's respect on both ways. I look forward to the challenge."
Watt was disruptive in the Steelers' season opener, with his efforts largely leading to the 20-13 win over the Atlanta Falcons. Specifically, he had four total tackles, two sacks, and one interception, which he returned for a touchdown. And with that, he was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week.
"Obviously, when you're that great a player, you don't play in the preseason. There's no preseason tape on him to follow up on. But just seeing how explosive he is and his knack for the ball, to gravitate to the ball," Moses added. "And then his skill set of obviously passing, rushing the passer has always been key. And so, he has a great group of guys around him, and he's just one of those guys that you pay attention to close and you know you're going to get the best of him every down."
During that matchup, Watt played a total of 38 snaps on defense, 32 of which came on the left side. But he did have six on the right side, which included a sack in the first quarter. So, second-year tackle Will Campbell also has to be prepared to go up against him.
"I went up against him last year," Campbell told Patriots Wire. "He lines up on the left every now and then in every game. He's a really talented player. They all are. So just trying to have a good week of practice and just be ready for the game."
"He is who he is for a reason," he added. "Ton of respect for him and those other guys. So just got to have a good week of practice."
Watt has been a major focus for the Patriots this week as they prepare for the Steelers, and one rookie has been tasked with the duty of portraying him on the scout team.
"It's a big expectation of how they see me," rookie edge defender Quintayvious Hutchins told Patriots Wire. "But it's also just giving the best look I can give to the offense to be prepared for the game as much as I can."
Earlier in the week, head coach Mike Vrabel was asked what goes into effectively stopping Watt, and his quick response said it all.
"When you figure it out, let me know," he said.
"A great athlete, very instinctive, athletic, explosive get-off. He’s got length and multiple moves," Vrabel added. "But his instinctiveness is a great asset. His brother was the same way; I got to see his brother play. I bet they intercepted the same pass - J.J. [Watt] intercepted that one the same way as T.J. [Watt] did. They must have practiced that when they were kids."
Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels shared similar sentiments.
“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.”
As did Maye
"He just wreaks havoc. He’s the same deal as last year. He’s been a great player in this league for a long time," the quarterback expressed. "You’ve got to know where he’s at. He enjoys making plays on the football, and he’s really good at it. They have a knack up front of getting hands on balls, and the one he made last week, you don’t see that very often in this league – it’s really special. I can’t even describe it more than that. So, we’ve got to have all hands on deck, especially with a lot of their front. They’ve got some great players, and they’ve been in that defense and been together for a while, so they know how to play off each other and count each other's strengths."
So, all eyes will be on No. 90 when 1 p.m. rolls around, but the Patriots have spent time preparing for him and will aim to limit his impact during each and every play.
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Patriots know T.J. Watt is coming. Now they have to stop him
