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Postgame Takes

Tomlin on T.J., facing adversity and HOFers

Watt a game: It's often said, big-time players make big-time plays.

And that was definitely the case for linebacker T.J. Watt.

Watt finished the game with seven tackles, two sacks for a loss of 13 yards, three pass defenses and one major forced fumble in overtime.

And it was in overtime where he really took over. First, he had a 13-yard sack of Geno Smith to force the Seahawks to punt on their opening possession of OT.

Then Watt had a strip-sack of Smith, and Devin Bush scooped up the loose ball for the recovery. The play set the Steelers up for a 37-yard Chris Boswell field goal for the 23-20 win.

Coach Mike Tomlin said he is never surprised by the big-time plays that Watt makes at key times.

"I don't think anyone is surprised by his ability to deliver in those moments," said Tomlin. "Yes, he's a great player, but it's about what he's willing to do in terms of preparation and conditioning himself and all of those things. It's not anything mystical about that play making, man. We're talking about a guy that's really talented, that works extremely hard, that's hyper focused, prepared physically and mentally, so that's what happens."

Facing adversity: It came down to an overtime field goal by Boswell, a 37-yarder to give the Steelers a 23-20 win after Watt's forced fumble.

While there were ups and downs, one thing that Tomlin noted was the team never gave up when faced with adversity.

"I'm appreciative of the effort of our team, the ability to smile in the face of adversity and make the necessary plays at the critical moments," said Tomlin. "We've got a lot of improvements to make, but boy, it's good to win a game like that, to get to know yourselves individually and collectively when faced with dire circumstances at times, and seemingly when it's not going your way."

The Steelers head into the bye week with a 3-3 record, before taking on the Cleveland Browns on the road on Oct. 31.

"It's also good to be at .500 as we push into this bye week," said Tomlin. "We can gather ourselves and look at some of the guys that we have working their way back from injury and really get focused on the second half of this thing and proceed with that approach."

Welcome back: The Steelers honored their members of the Hall of Fame Class of 2020 and 2021 during halftime, with Bill Cowher, Alan Faneca, Troy Polamalu and Donnie Shell receiving their Hall of Fame Ring of Excellence, and the family of Bill Nunn being honored.

Tomlin, who always enjoys having the alumni back, said it was great to win with them in attendance.

"A big congratulations to our Hall of Fame honorees that got recognized tonight, and a hearty welcome to the alumni that had an opportunity to be in attendance," said Tomlin. "It's an honor to perform for those guys and put together a winning performance.

"We've got so much respect for the standards that have been set here by those that have come before us. We don't run away from it, we run to it, we embrace it, and it was great to have a really competitive team victory with those men in attendance."

Game action photos from the Steelers' Week 6 game against the Seattle Seahawks at Heinz Field