PITTSBURGH — T.J. Watt stunned Cooper Rush with a remarkable pick-six early in the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium on Sunday, intercepting a pass intended for Bijan Robinson and returning it untouched for a touchdown to put the Pittsburgh Steelers ahead 20-10 against the Atlanta Falcons.
Watt snagged the short throw just feet away from Rush as he tried to get around the edge, making a clean two-handed grab and rolling into the end zone for the score. It was the 10th interception of Watt's career, making him just the second player in NFL history with at least 10 interceptions and at least 100 sacks since sacks became an official stat in 1982, joining Hall of Famer Julius Peppers, who had 159.5 sacks and 11 interceptions in his 17-year career.
Watt sacked Rush twice earlier in the game to reach 117 career sacks. He recorded 55 total tackles and seven sacks last season, his ninth with the Steelers. Pittsburgh took a 13-7 lead into halftime after Aaron Rodgers connected with Pat Freiermuth for a six-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter.
Rush was officially named the Falcons' starting quarterback Sunday morning. Tua Tagovailoa had been slated to start Week 1 but sustained an oblique injury at practice on Thursday. Rush signed with Atlanta this past offseason as a backup behind Tagovailoa and Michael Penix, who is still recovering from a knee injury.