The Pittsburgh Steelers, despite inconsistency and offensive struggles, have had no issue maintaining a strong defensive front in recent times. They have been the subject of both praise and ire, but have certainly caught the eyes of the top players across the league regardless.
Recently, one of the top offensive talents in the National Football League in San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle issued strong praise for Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt. Watt is often the center of the praise, and Kittle was no different when appearing on the Back of the Bus podcast with former NFL players Will Compton and Taylor Lewan.
“There’s a couple d-linemen that are always fun to play against,” Kittle said. “J.J. Watt was really fun to play against when he was with the Cardinals a couple of times because he just talks the whole game. And then T.J. is fun too because we chipped on him every single play. We played them in Pittsburgh two years ago. We won the game, but we chipped him every play except for three plays, and on those three plays, he had three sacks. And we chipped him the whole game, and he’s so mad the whole game. He’s like, ‘Dude, leave me alone. I’m like, ‘Never. It’s like, ‘You’re mine, baby. You’re mine.”
Kittle has been a tough opponent to beat as an offensive talent with the 49ers throughout his career, and also has shown to be one of the more open members of the NFL when it comes to press availability. While Watt is certainly on the tougher end of opponents that Kittle has faced directly, he has been able to compete at a high level against many teams’ defensive cores.
The two teams have not played since the 2023 game that Kittle referenced, where the 49ers won 30-7.
