JJ Watt on TJ Watt breaking the NFL sack record this year: 'He's got a real shot'

Through two weeks, Pittsburgh Steelers star pass rusher TJ Watt has had a phenomenal start to the season. Because of that start, there are some who are even wondering if he’s going to be able to break the NFL‘s single-season sack record.

TJ Watt’s older brother JJ Watt recently made an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show. There, he seemed confident that his younger brother has a chance to set the NFL record this season.

“I mean, the way he’s playing right now, he’s on a different level,” JJ Watt said. “He’s been on a different level for a long time but he’s been playing lights out right now. I really think he’s got a shot to do it.”

Do you think TJ is breaking the sack record this year..

"He's playing lights out right now and I think he's got a real shot to do it" ~ @JJWatt #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/ZgbQWTbNLt

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 20, 2023

After JJ Watt gave his brother his due, Pat McAfee and the group gave him a hard time over his charity not being chosen by the Steelers.

Sacks weren’t counted as a statistic until 1982. In the grand scheme of things, this makes it a relatively new stat and makes it difficult to judge the great pass rushers of the 1970s and earlier in the NFL’s history. So, in a way, this is a unique record that doesn’t include the entire history of the league.

As it stands now, the single-season sack record is 22.5 in a season. That’s a record that Michael Strahan set in the 2001 season. Two decades later, in 2021, TJ Watt matched that mark, giving him a share of the record.

To this point in the season, Watt has four sacks. That’s a 34-sack pace that he almost certainly won’t keep up, but is incredibly impressive to this point in the season, nonetheless.

The NFL season now being 17 games will make it easier for TJ Watt to try and break the sack record. However, it still won’t be an easy task.

TJ Watt sets all-time Steelers sack record against Browns

In Week 2 against the Browns, TJ Watt set a record. He became the Pittsburgh Steelers defender with the most career sacks.

In just six seasons and two games, Watt has managed to record 81.5 career sacks. That broke the previous franchise record of 80.5, which was held by James Harrison.

“It’s great,” Harrison said. “That is the whole reason I came, so I could be here in person to see it. Records are meant to be broken and that was one I was happy to see go down, especially watching it here.”