Ben Roethlisberger shuts down absurd T.J. Watt criticism after Week 1 - Steelers Wire

Entering the season, national media speculation questioned whether Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt was finally beginning to decline. It took less than four quarters of football to render that narrative completely absurd.

With an unbelievable game-changing interception returned for a touchdown, Watt instantly reminded the NFL world why he stands in a class of his own.

Watching the play unfold on his podcast, “Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger,” former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger slammed offseason doubters who dared suggest the superstar was fading.

"Listen, I think the most ridiculous thing that I'd heard recently was people talking about T.J. Watt being finished," Roethlisberger said. "Like, 'Oh, well, he declined.' I was like, you just can't rule out a Watt. I don't think you're allowed to do that. There's something in their genes."

What sets Watt apart from other elite defenders is his uncanny knack for turning defensive stops into game-breaking offensive points. Average pass rushers settle for batting balls down at the line of scrimmage, but Watt plucks them out of mid-air like a highlight reel catch.

Roethlisberger joked that Watt snatches passes like a "Belgian Malinois catching a tennis ball."

Former Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes highlighted how Watt’s instincts immediately shift from pass rusher to playmaker once the ball touches his hands.

"That part after he intercepted the football, he has the ability to say, 'You know what? I got a chance to score six here,'" Holmes noted. "He's one of those guys like, 'Offense isn't really doing it. Let me do it.'"

While the media endlessly debates positional rankings between Watt and other perennial Pro Bowlers, plays like his season-opening pick-six put the argument to rest. Watt doesn't just disrupt drives; he completely alters the trajectory of games.