EDITOR'S NOTE: This is another in a series of articles looking back ay some of the highlights from the 2024 season.
The New York Giants made a mistake and T.J. Watt made them pay.
"He was supposed to be chipped," head coach Brian Daboll lamented after Watt sacked quarterback Daniel Jones, stripped the football and recovered it with 2:59 left in regulation on Oct. 28 at Acrisure Stadium.
Jones, likewise, acknowledged the gaffe, his failure to shift tight end Theo Johnson from the left side of the offensive formation to the right side pre-snap.
"Needed to shift Theo," Jones assessed. "I didn't shift him. (Right offensive tackle) Jermaine (Eluemunor) was expecting a chip and he didn't get one, so that's my fault."
The Giants, trailing 26-18, had recovered a fumble by Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson with 4:34 left in regulation. They registered one first down before the potential game-tying drive bogged down, thanks largely to consecutive plays made by Watt.
On second-and-8 from the Steelers' 20-yard line, Jones dripped back to pass and then scrambled to his right.
He had running back Devin Singletary in front of him as a blocker and plenty of green grass beyond Singletary, but Watt pursued from behind and made a diving tackle that limited Jones to a 1-yard gain.
"T.J. Watt reaching for the feet of Daniel Jones just saved a big play," ESPN play-by-play announcer Joe Buck reported.
Added color analyst Troy Aikman: "You see T.J. Watt, he gets up the field but he never loses sight of where Daniel Jones is. A lot of guys will rush up the field and then they're just totally out of the picture. Not T.J. Watt. He circles back and is able to make a play on a very athletic quarterback."
On third-and-7, Watt donned his Superman cape on the way to his sack, strip and fumble recovery.
Eluemunor, speaking about a potential matchup with Watt in advance of the game, had said he wanted to be "on an island with him all day."
Watt's fellow outside linebacker Alex Highsmith knew that was a bad idea, particularly in this instance.
"I knew the play, I saw the tight end over with me," Highsmith explained. "I saw (Watt) 1-on-1 with (Eluemunor), he's about to make a play. And he did, he got the ball.
"That's just what he does. That's why he's the best in the world."
The sequence was as good an example as any as to why Watt is one of five finalists for the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award.
The sack was Watt's second of the night on a Monday Night Football performance that also included seven total tackles, two tackles for a loss, two quarterback hits, the forced fumble and the fumble recovery that went a long way toward sealing a 26-18 victory for the Steelers.
But in the immediate aftermath he neither gloated nor took individual credit for plays he insisted were made by the defense as a collective.
"I mean, l have a lot of respect for every single player in the NFL," Watt maintained. "Everybody works hard, and I'm just trying to get my opportunities when I get 'em and make the most of 'em when they happen. But it's not possible without scheme.
"We've done a good job schematically of trying to create those 1-on-1s along with the backend covering just long enough and the guys up front also chewing up blockers. So it's a team effort."
