Week 9 in the NFL ends Monday night when the Chicago Bears (3-5) take on the Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3) live on the Sky Sports NFL from 1.15 early Tuesday morning.
TJ Watt is constantly on the radar of opposition defenders and faces one of the toughest challenges to date in Justin Fields’ young career as the Pittsburgh Steelers host the Chicago Bears on Monday night.
Only Aaron Donald (63.5) has more sacks than Watt (58) since he hit the league as a first-round pick in 2017, his influence at the forefront of the game has been needed even more this season after leaving Bada Dupree and Bada Dupree in the offseason. the recent departure of Melvin Ingram III.
“He’s a game changer,” said Bears head coach Matt Nagy. “He’s special. He’s everywhere. He’s smart. He can defeat you in different movements, from speed to strength, he can rush at you. He will be all over the place, in various places on the D line.
“And he goes after football. When he captures, he plays football. When you are in the pocket, you better have a defense with the ball, because he is following this football. “
Fields had arguably the most successful performance of his rookie campaign last weekend, finishing 19 out of 27 for 175 yards, one touchdown and one interception along with 103 rushing yards from 10 carries, which included a terrific attempt to avoid the almost inevitable bag early. run to the final landing zone 22 yards.
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It was the first serious look at the ex-Ohio quarterback’s out-of-pocket threat since his arrival in the NFL. Watt and Steelers took notice.
“I think this is another big problem, and it’s a beautiful feature of the NFL because there are so many great players, and a guy like this is the top pick in the NFL Draft, a guy who is so agile and can throw the ball. is always a unique challenge for us and we look forward to meeting it, ”added Watt.
“They have a great running attack that helps a little, and every time the quarterback can move around in his pocket and create siding, it creates a certain type of problem for those in a rush, myself included.”
Monday marks Pittsburgh’s first game since Ingram was sent to the Kansas City Chiefs until the trade deadline last Tuesday, placing the burden on Watt’s fellow starter Alex Highsmith to ramp up production and newcomer Derrek Tusk, the only outside midfielder on the active lineup. to ensure the depth of rotation.
