Plenty of juice: From the time the 2024 season started, linebacker T.J. Watt made one thing perfectly clear.
He wants to win a playoff game.
And this weekend, he is hoping to make that happen.
Watt, the Steelers first round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, has a drive like no other to get over that hump.
“Since I’ve been here, I haven’t won a playoff game,” said Watt. “I’ve been saying it this whole season. You guys know how important this is to me.
“It starts with having a great day, day in and day out this whole week. Today was a good day. This whole week was a good week. But if we’ve learned anything about these last four weeks, it doesn’t matter how well you prepare, how good you feel about your preparation, if you don’t execute on game day.”
And game day will be one where the defense has to bring everything they have.
The Steelers will take on the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday night at M&T Bank Stadium, an opponent the black and gold are plenty familiar with. The two teams split the regular season series, each winning at their home venue. In the Week 16 matchup, the Ravens offense came out strong, something Watt knows they have to clamp down on this week.
“I don’t know if you can add to it honestly,” said Watt. “I’m excited to play in the playoffs. I wasn’t able to do it last year.
“I want to play better than what we did a couple of weeks ago when we played these guys. I feel like we’re capable of playing much better football, especially as a defense. I feel like we had a really good week of practice.
“You can’t add juice. You really can’t. I mean, if you don’t get up for these games, I don’t know what you’re doing.
“It’s a huge game because we’re in it. Obviously, the Ravens, divisional opponent. It’s great that we to have two games to look at for film, just to see those intimate relationships that Mike T (Coach Mike Tomlin) always talks about.”
While the game itself is about as hyped up is you can get, there is something that does add juice for Watt.
And that’s what the ultimate goal is.
Yes, he wants a playoff win.
A Super Bowl Championship.
“You say all the time there’s a big difference between guys that come back that are Super Bowl champions and guys that are not,” said Watt. “And that’s not a slight at the guys that aren’t. I’m one of those guys right now.
“But there’s definitely an aura and a sense to a guy that has won a Super Bowl. There’s a togetherness, a close-knit group of guys that when they come back for those alumni weekends, they hang out and they bond, and they talk about their successes on and off the field in that Super Bowl run. And we want that. Every guy in here wants that.
“Don’t confuse any of this lack of success for lack of effort. Everybody’s trying. We’re turning over every stone, every stone that we possibly can to be great. We want to be great. We just need to do it together. And that’s not saying that we haven’t, but we just need to do everything collectively. Play complementary football when that time matters most.
“There’s definitely a sense of urgency because it’s the playoffs in the National Football League. This is what everybody plays the game for.”