Monday was quite a big night for Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt.
With just over a minute to play in the first half of Pittsburgh's Week 2 matchup with the rival Cleveland Browns, the 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year became the Steelers' all-time sack leader when he brought Deshaun Watson to the ground.
Breaking a tie with James Harrison, Watt, in just his seventh year in the league, now has 81.5 sacks during his career. And just how impressive is that number? It took Harrison 14 seasons in Pittsburgh to get to 80.5.
But Watt's night wasn't over.
With the Steelers trailing 22-19 in the fourth quarter, Alex Highsmith forced a Watson fumble. And Watt, in the right place at the right time, scooped up the football and ran it back 16 yards for what proved to be the game-winning touchdown. That just also happened to be the first touchdown of T.J. Watt's career.
As one would expect, three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and future Hall of Famer J.J. Watt tuned in to watch his little brother do his thing. And what a proud big bro he was, as you can see from this post on X.
And that was before T.J. Watt scored his first-ever touchdown.
The elder Watt certainly makes a strong argument as the younger Watt is already a five-time Pro Bowler, a four-time All-Pro, and has finished in the top three of the DPOY vote three times, obviously including his win in 2021.
He also leads the league in sacks this season with four, racking up three against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1 in addition to the aforementioned hit on Watson on Monday night.
But as you can imagine, not everyone agreed with J.J. Watt's assessment, specifically a passionate fanbase that roots for the guys with stars on their helmets.
Dallas Cowboys fans didn't agree with J.J. Watt calling T.J. Watt the NFL's best defensive player
Several fanbases chimed in on J.J. Watt's argument that T.J. Watt is the NFL's best defensive player. San Francisco 49ers fans made the argument for Nick Bosa, who just recently became the highest-paid defensive player in league history.
Los Angeles Rams fans claimed that 32-year-old Aaron Donald still deserves the title.
Kansas City Chiefs supporters made their case for Chris Jones. The list goes on.
As I scrolled through the responses from Watt's post, however, the majority of replies against his argument came from Dallas Cowboys fans claiming that Micah Parsons, not T.J. Watt, is the NFL's best defensive player.
Here's a quick look at just a few of the replies Watt received.
Trust me. There's a lot more where those came from.
And like Steelers fans or J.J. Watt can with T.J. Watt, Cowboys fans can genuinely make a strong argument for Micah Parsons.
Sure, the 24-year-old is in just his third NFL season. But the first two were simply phenomenal.
As a rookie in 2021, Parsons recorded 13 sacks en route to winning Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. He also finished second to Watt in the NFL DPOY vote. In 2022, after upping his sack total to 13.5, he was again the runner-up in the DPOY voting, finishing second to Nick Bosa.
Parsons earned a trip to the Pro Bowl and First-Team All-Pro honors both years.
Like Watt, he's also off to a great start this season, recording three sacks during the Cowboys' impressive 2-0 start.
So what do you say, FanSiders? Are Cowboys fans correct in saying Micah Parsons is better than T.J. Watt?
Stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference
