Official NFL Statistician Makes Decision on T.J. Watt's Sack Appeal

The Steelers filed an appeal with the Elias Sports Bureau, the official statistician of the NFL, earlier this week in hopes of getting pass rusher T.J. Watt the sack record.

According to Pro Football Talk, however, Elias declined to change a call from Sunday's game against the Ravens, and agreed with the statisticians in Baltimore.

Watt's lone sack in the contest came in the second quarter, when he brought down Baltimore quarterback Tyler Huntley.

Watt, however, believes that a fumble by Huntley in the first quarter of Pittsburgh's eventual 16–13 victory should have been credited as a sack as well.

Watt explained his opinion to The MMQB's Albert Breer:

“It was empty [backfield] and there was a bad snap. [Tyler Huntley] fell on it, but then he got up. And when he got back up on his two feet, I tackled him and got the ball out. So, I mean, he very well could have still thrown the ball. My understanding was that it was a sack, but apparently it wasn’t, at least according to the statisticians.”

Watt was then asked if he thought it should have been a sack, to which he responded, “Yeah, because he still could've thrown the ball.”

Watt tied NFL Hall of Famer Michael Strahan's single-season sack record, of 22.5 on Sunday in Pittsburgh's regular season finale. 

Watt's four-sack tally in Week 17 against the Browns gave him a shot at the record Sunday. It also sent him past his brother J.J.'s single-season best of 20.5 sacks, a mark set in 2012 and 2014.

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