Pittsburgh Steelers pass rusher T.J. Watt entered today needing one sack to tie the NFL single-season record of 22.5.
After a bizarre play in the first quarter against the Baltimore Ravens, he still has 21.5 sacks, one less than record-holder Michael Strahan. But for a moment, it looked like the fifth-year pro tied the current TV star.
On 2nd-and-8 from the Ravens’ 46-yard line, an errant shotgun snap sent quarterback Tyler Huntley scrambling for the loose ball. After retrieving the pigskin, Huntley got up and tried to run, only to have Watt take him down while knocking the ball out of his hand.
Pittsburgh wound up recovering and converted the turnover into three points.
T.J. Watt was not given a sack on this play 🤨
(via @steelers)pic.twitter.com/vE5IxuDQ83
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) January 9, 2022
Unfortunately for Watt, the official scorers in Baltimore ruled the play an “aborted snap and fumble” and did not give him credit for a sack.
He’s got to take Huntley down for real in order to tie Strahan.
The official scorers did not give T.J. Watt a sack on that weird play, which was scored as an aborted snap and fumble. Still 1 away from tying the NFL record.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 9, 2022
Considering Strahan broke Mark Gastineau’s old record in 2001 on a weird play in which Brett Favre allegedly took a dive, it would have been kind of fitting of Watt tied the mark when he stripped Hundley after the bad snap.
Alas, it was not to be. We’ll see if the DPOY candidate can sack Huntley for real over the next three-plus quarters.
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