National Football League

Is T.J. Watt on track to be better than his brother J.J. Watt?

Published Feb. 12, 2022 8:28 p.m. ET

After a monster season, T.J. Watt took home his first Defensive Player of the Year award on Thursday.

The moment was made even more memorable for the Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker when his brother — Arizona Cardinals defensive end J.J. Watt — presented the award live at the 2022 NFL Honors.

T.J. finished the regular season with 22.5 sacks — tying the NFL's single-season sack record — as he led the league for a second-straight season. He is the first Steeler to win DPOY since Troy Polamalu in 2010.

The Watt brothers are the first pair of brothers to both win the award (J.J. has won it three times in his 11-year career, which is tied with Lawrence Taylor and Aaron Donald for the most all-time).

With one DPOY award under his belt, is T.J. on track to surpass his older brother? It's certainly possible.

Let's break it down.

J.J., who turns 33 next month, has racked up 102 sacks, 547 tackles (including 177 tackles for loss) and 292 QB hits across 135 games.

He's also defended 63 passes, intercepted two, forced 26 fumbles and recovered 16. The five-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro selection has led the NFL in sacks twice (20.5 in 2012 and 17.5 in 2015), and in tackles for loss three times (2012, 2014 and 2015).

Meanwhile, T.J., 27, already boasts 72 sacks, 294 tackles (80 TFL) and 150 QB hits. He's also defended 32 passes, intercepted four, forced 22 fumbles and recovered seven. And he's done it all in 77 games, 58 fewer than his older brother.

T.J., a four-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro, has also led the league in sacks and tackles for loss in each of the last two seasons.

Since J.J. has played 58 more games than T.J., you'd think it might be more informative to look at their rate statistics. But both players have areas in which they excel.

T.J. has an advantage in tackles per game (3.82 to 3.74) and sacks per game (.94 to .93), but J.J. averages more TFL (1.65 to 1.04) and QB hits (2.61 to 1.95).

The bottom line is that both brothers are great players. When it comes down to which will ultimately be considered better, it could end up being a simple matter of longevity.