Pittsburgh Steelers star T.J. Watt added another historic accomplishment to his résumé with a dominant performance to open the 2026 season.

The NFL highlighted that Watt joined Pro Football Hall of Famer Julius Peppers as the only players to record at least 100 sacks and 10 interceptions since individual sacks became an official statistic in 1982.

Watt reached the interception benchmark during Pittsburgh's 20-13 Week 1 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. The 31-year-old finished the game with four tackles, two sacks and an interception, which he returned 35 yards for a touchdown.

The performance increased Watt's career totals to 117 sacks and 10 interceptions across 136 regular-season games. He has also accumulated 36 forced fumbles since entering the league as Pittsburgh's first-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.

.@_TJWatt continues to make history 🫡 pic.twitter.com/cmnBB6aHLo

— NFL (@NFL) September 18, 2026

Peppers finished his Hall of Fame career with 159.5 sacks and 11 interceptions over 17 seasons. Watt now stands alongside the former Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers defensive end in a category that highlights his ability to impact opposing quarterbacks both as a pass rusher and in coverage.

Watt and the Steelers will now turn their attention toward the New England Patriots. Pittsburgh travels to New England for its Week 2 matchup Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on CBS.

After beginning the season with two sacks and a pick-six, Watt will look to continue adding to his historic career totals as Pittsburgh attempts to improve to 2-0.