T.J. Watt Says It's 'Absolutely Unacceptable' He Hasn't Won Playoff Game With Steelers

Despite his own individual dominance since entering the NFL in 2017, Pittsburgh Steelers star T.J. Watt is still seeking his first playoff win.

In an interview on In Depth with Graham Bensinger, Watt called it "absolutely unaccceptable" that he hasn't won a postseason game with the Steelers.

It's hard to fathom that the Steelers haven't won a playoff game since Watt entered the league in 2017. Their last postseason victory came three months before he was drafted when they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Divisional Round.

The Steelers have made five playoff appearances in Watt's first eight seasons, but they are 0-5 in those games.

Watt's rookie year was arguably the most disappointing of those defeats because they went 13-3 in the regular season, tied for the best record in the NFL. They were upset in the divisional round with a 45-42 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

At the time, the 45 points scored by Jacksonville was the most allowed in a playoff game by the Steelers. That mark has since been surpassed by the Cleveland Browns in the 2020 wild card game (48-37).

Each of the Steelers' last four playoff losses have been by an average of 15 points. Watt didn't play against the Buffalo Bills in the wild card game in January 2024 due to a knee injury.

He hasn't played up to his usual standard in the postseason with five quarterback hits and one sack in four games.

Since entering the NFL in 2017, Watt leads the league with 108 sacks. He has been named to the All-Pro team five times in the past six seasons, including four first-team selections, and he won Defensive Player of the Year in 2021.

The Steelers made some big bets this offseason aimed at ending their six-game playoff losing streak. They signed Aaron Rodgers to play quarterback and traded for DK Metcalf to be their No. 1 receiver.

Watt, who became the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL when he agreed to a three-year, $123 million extension last week, certainly sounds as motivated as ever to help the Steelers get back to the playoffs and win at least one game.

It won't be an easy task given how deep the AFC is and the competition the Steelers have to play in their own division, but they are at least attacking it with one of the best defensive players in the league on their roster.