Pittsburgh Pro Football Focus (PFF) and the Pittsburgh Steelers fan base are poles apart. The majority of NFL fans hold PFF accountable for their biased statistics and “advanced” player measurements, but Steelers Nation has other grievances. When it comes to evaluating the best defensive players in the league, the majority of Pittsburgh supporters believe PFF has a bias against the Steelers.
Myles Garrett, an edge rusher for the Cleveland Browns, has frequently been ranked higher than great defender T.J. Watt of the Steelers over the last few seasons. Among the most thrilling individual rivalries is this one. Since they both joined the NFL, Garrett and Watt—who play in the same division—have been the two most outstanding defenders in the league.
Nonetheless, Myles Garrett is still the superior player, according to PFF. In their list of the top NFL players heading into the 2024 season, they placed Watt 14th, behind only Garrett (2nd). Watt was also behind Micah Parsons, the standout rusher for the Dallas Cowboys.
Not surprise, several people took issue with the list, particularly Steelers supporters. After receiving criticism, writer Sam Monson—who created the list of the greatest players—defended his selections on PFF’s YouTube channel.
“The NFL’s publication of their top 100 players will be interesting,” he remarked. “They tweeted a number of player ballots that they had cast. One of the things about the previous season that upsets Steelers fans is that we still do not have an explanation for why we have this grudge against T.J. Watt. I did not see a single one that placed Watt ahead of Myles Garrett.”
The only issue is that Steelers supporters do have a solution: their on-field output. Only in 2022, when Watt was only able to play in 10 games due to injuries, did Garrett surpass Watt in sack totals. In a similar vein, Garrett last caused more fumbles than Watt in 2020. Compared to Garrett, Watt has more interceptions, QB pressures, and deflected passes overall. When comparing the two defenders side by side on paper, T.J. Watt is actually the superior and more productive one.
Also tied in the hardware duel are the two rushers. Although neither has won a Super Bowl, they have both been named Defensive Player of the Year. After a 22.5 sack season in 2021, Watt earned his first, and Garrett got his this past season. Watt’s game is so reliable and so terrifying that even Monson had to concede it.
“On the defensive side of the ball, there might not be a greater playmaker,” he remarked.
Nevertheless, PFF and a large portion of the league still rank Watt lower than Garrett and disregard his abilities. Based on their rankings, he is the fourth best defensive player in the NFL going into 2024. Watt and the Steelers have plenty of motivation from PFF to keep proving the rest of the league and them incorrect, not that he needs it.
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