Pittsburgh Steelers superstar T.J. Watt has continued to perform at a superhuman level this season—and he shows no signs of slowing down.

At the beginning of the 2021 season, Watt signed a lucrative four-year, $112 million extension—with $80 fully guaranteed at signing—making him the highest-paid defensive player in the league. Watt was present and did not participate in training camp or preseason until the contract negotiations were finalized. The deal is beyond well-deserved with Watt having appeared in the last three Pro Bowls, earning two first-team All-Pro honors in that timeframe.

Watt has started in 62 of 64 possible games in his time with the Steelers. He is without a doubt the keystone of the Pittsburgh defense. In a season where the team has struggled offensively with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger at the helm, the defense has been crucial in shutting down opposing offenses and giving their own offense as many opportunities to score as possible.

In this season alone, Watt has accounted for 34 tackles, 11.5 sacks, and three forced fumbles. Watt single-handedly kept the Steelers in their most recent game against the Chicago Bears with three sacks. Heading into this Sunday against the Detroit Lions, Pittsburgh now stands with a 5-3 record.

As the 2021 season kicked off for Pittsburgh against the Buffalo Bills, Watt put on a dominating performance despite the Steelers’ loss. However, there was serious concern when Watt went down just 16 snaps into the second game with a groin injury. Thankfully for the Steelers franchise, Watt was able to return to play in Week 4 and has continued to excel.

However, it is important to note that six years before T.J Watt arrived on the NFL scene, his older brother, J.J. Watt, had already made quite the name for himself. J.J. Watt made his NFL debut in 2011 when he was drafted in Round 1, Pick 11 by the Houston Texans. In his past 10 years in the league, JJ Watt has been awarded the Defensive Player of the Year several times.

Back to T.J. Watt and his team, the Lions have been able to beat the Steelers since 1998 and it doesn’t look like this year will be any different. Despite the challenges that Pittsburgh faced early on in the season, they are riding a four-game win streak heading into Sunday’s matchup and are ready to extend it to five.