The Pittsburgh Steelers entered their opener with plenty of questions surrounding whether one of the most decorated players on their roster could still produce the kind of afternoon that once felt almost routine. Age had entered the conversation, last season supplied ammunition for skeptics and one difficult year was enough for some people to start wondering whether Pittsburgh had already seen the best version of its longtime defensive centerpiece. One teammate apparently found that entire discussion a little ridiculous.
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Pittsburgh Steelers’ T.J. Watt celebrates a sack at Acrisure Stadium in 2026.
Patrick Queen was focused about TJ Watt. Following Pittsburgh's 20-13 season-opening victory over the Atlanta Falcons, Queen pushed back on the idea that one injury-affected season should have erased years of evidence about what Watt can do. During his postgame media availability, Queen sounded especially pleased that his teammate immediately supplied a reminder.
“It’s crazy how a guy could be dominant for so long and then one year he gets hurt and deal with some adversity and everybody trying to turn the page on him and stuff. So, I’m just happy for him to be able to go out there and be his old self,” Queen said.
Calling it his old self feels pretty appropriate after what Watt did Sunday.
The veteran finished with two sacks, three tackles for loss and one of the game's defining plays, intercepting an Atlanta pass and returning it 35 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Pittsburgh had spent much of the afternoon allowing the Falcons to remain within striking distance. Watt decided seven points of separation sounded more comfortable.
The performance was particularly satisfying because the conversation around Watt changed considerably after 2025. He appeared in 14 games and finished with seven sacks, a perfectly useful total for most NFL edge rushers but well below the standard he spent years establishing for himself. Once a player has produced 22.5 sacks in one season and followed that with another 19-sack campaign, ordinary excellence starts getting treated like evidence of decline.
That is essentially what Queen was pushing against.
Watt dealt with physical adversity last season and never consistently resembled the player Pittsburgh had grown accustomed to watching destroy protections. The sack total dropped, and so did the assumption that every offensive coordinator facing the Steelers had to begin his week by figuring out where No. 90 would be.
It created an offseason discussion that sometimes skipped over an important distinction: playing below Watt's absurd standard is not the same thing as suddenly becoming ineffective.
His argument against the decline conversation existed long before Sunday. The Steelers changed defensive coordinators, became more intentional about moving their rushers and built enough edge depth to prevent Watt from having to absorb every possible snap. Week 1 was the first opportunity to see whether those changes could produce a fresher and more disruptive version of Pittsburgh's star.
The early answer was fairly loud.
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Steelers superstar pass rusher TJ Watt celebrates with the football after making one of his iconic splash plays.
The interception may have been the best illustration because it showcased more than pass-rush production. Watt recognized the play, got underneath the throw and turned the takeaway into Pittsburgh's only defensive touchdown of the afternoon. The sacks were familiar. Seeing the 31-year-old running the other direction with the football was a useful reminder that his ability to wreck possessions has never been limited to beating an offensive tackle around the edge.
Pittsburgh also did not need to exhaust him to get the production. Mike McCarthy made it clear before the season that he did not want Watt routinely playing more than 60 defensive snaps, believing the Steelers' depth could preserve their premier rushers for situations where games are actually decided.
Sunday offered an early example of the logic. Watt was still capable of being one of the most impactful players on the field when the fourth quarter arrived, and Pittsburgh's other edge options helped make the rotation possible rather than forcing him to carry the entire workload.
That should matter over a 17-game schedule. Watt does not need to prove he can survive the most snaps of anyone in the defensive front. Pittsburgh needs his best ones. If a deeper rotation keeps the burst available for third downs and late-game situations, the Steelers can worry less about whether the box score shows 65 plays and more about how many of them changed the game.
Steelers Got The Version Of Watt That Queen Never Stopped Believing In
One great opener does not guarantee Watt will spend the next four months recreating his Defensive Player of the Year season. He is older, the NFL remains unforgiving and Pittsburgh's new defensive structure will continue asking him to adapt rather than simply recreate what worked five years ago.
Sunday did prove how quickly the conversation can swing back.
All offseason, questions followed Watt about declining sack totals, age and whether Pittsburgh should expect the same level of dominance. Then the regular season arrived and he produced two sacks, three tackles for loss and a pick-six in a seven-point victory.
Queen never understood why one rough year was enough for anyone to forget everything that came before it. After watching Watt look considerably more familiar against Atlanta, he did not have to construct much of a defense for his teammate.
Watt had already made the argument himself.
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