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Steelers Appeal Stat To Get T.J. Watt Sack Record, But Request Is Denied

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - DECEMBER 15: T.J. Watt #90 of the Pittsburgh Steelers jumps in the air as he runs onto the field before the game against the Buffalo Bills at Heinz Field on December 15, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)

The Pittsburgh Steelers got sacked—or, rather, they were hoping to be credited with one but weren’t.

The team filed an appeal with the Elias Sports Bureau in an effort to get linebacker T.J. Watt the single-season sack record. The NFL’s official statistician declined, and Watt will instead share the single-season title (22.5) with Hall of Famer Michael Strahan.

The Steelers felt Watt was entitled to a sack in the first quarter when he stripped QB Tyler Huntley after an errant snap. Instead, it was called a botched snap by the center and a forced fumble, with Watt getting credit for a tackle and forced fumble.

His sack in the second quarter then tied the record.

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“It was empty (backfield), and there was a bad snap,” Watt said. “He fell on it, but then he got up. And when he got back up on his two feet, I tackled him and got the ball out. So, I mean, he very well could have still thrown the ball. My understanding was that it was a sack, but apparently it wasn’t, at least according to the statisticians.”

For those scoring at home, Watt accomplished the feat in 15 games, while it took Strahan 16 contests in 2001.

Andrew Corselli