"He'll be hearing about this for years to come."
T.J. Watt grinned as he spoke following the undefeated Steelers' 28-21 victory over brother J.J. Watt's winless Texans on this Sunday at Heinz Field, and he was the only one of three Watt brothers in the game with cause to smile. Even Derek Watt couldn't fully enjoy it, a hamstring injury having forced him out in the second quarter.
Needless to say at this stage, the meeting, just the second of three brothers in the same NFL game in the past 93 years, had become a big deal well outside the Watt household in Wisconsin. And, similar to the battles all three had as children, this one was bound to leave someone happier than someone else.
Still, T.J. and J.J. both acknowledged afterward is was special.
“I just tried to take a moment, especially toward the end of the game there, to be able to see the guy who I looked up to my whole life, now playing football with my brother J.J.,” T.J. spoke afterward, adding that he wasn't doing much of it because of a hard focus on the game and because he spends most of his time on the sideline studying on the iPad. "Just to see him go to work on a football field with my own eyes is something I'll never forget. I'm truly grateful I was able to share the field with my brothers today."
J.J. was visibly -- and understandably -- more subdued on the subject.
“Yeah, it's all right. Someday we’ll all look back, and it’ll be pretty cool,” he said. “But right now, sitting at 0-3, it doesn’t feel that great. It’s a special thing for our family, but right now it’s about the Houston Texans and figuring out what we need to do to win a football game.”
T.J. and J.J. met at the 50-yard line before the game as team captains for the coin toss.
"For them both to be captains and to go out there to do the coin flip was awesome," JuJu Smith-Schuster recalled.
T.J. was, as ever, the Steelers' peak performer on defense, with a huge fourth-quarter sack of Houston's Deshaun Watson ...
... and a hard hit on Watson that contributed to Mike Hilton's game-turning interception ...
... as part of a line that included four solo tackles, two tackles for a loss and four quarterback hits.
J.J., coming off two sacks the previous week against the Ravens, was comparatively quiet with a solo tackle, three assists and nothing else. Chuks Okorafor, the Steelers' young right tackle, was largely responsible.
Derek saw duty on special teams, as well as a handful of snaps at fullback.
T.J. sounded possibly a little relieved it was over, in the brotherly context.
"There was a lot of buildup that went into this week. So much media," he said. "So much media. Being mic'd up for the first time. I think you'll find out I'm a very boring person to listen to on the field. I don't talk much. I just tried to soak it up as much as possible."
All the spoils, too.
