FOXBOROUGH, Mass — Morgan Moses has quite the challenge ahead of him. The Patriots’ starting right guard will likely be tasked with covering Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt in Sunday’s home opener, as he mostly plays on the left side.”He’s a hell of a player,” Moses told Patriots Wire. “He’s been there for multiple years, and the things that he’s established over the course of his career have been no shorter than amazing. A guy like that, obviously it’s a battle. It’s a 60-minute, four-quarter game, and you have to pay attention to him and just be able to block that guy until you hear the whistle. The two faced off during the 2025 season, when the Steelers were at Gillette Stadium in Week 3, where Moses did give up a sack to Watt.”Obviously, anytime you get to go up against a great football player, you look forward to it,” Moses added. “And you know there’s respect on both ways. I look forward to the challenge.”Watt was disruptive in the Steelers’ season opener, with his efforts largely leading to the 20-13 win over the Atlanta Falcons. Specifically, he had four total tackles, two sacks, and one interception, which he returned for a touchdown. And with that, he was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week.”Obviously, when you’re that great a player, you don’t play in the preseason. There’s no preseason tape on him to follow up on. But just seeing how explosive he is and his knack for the ball, to gravitate to the ball,” Moses added. “And then his skill set of obviously passing, rushing the passer has always been key. And so, he has a great group of guys around him, and he’s just one of those guys that you pay attention to close and you know you’re going to get the best of him every down.”During that matchup, Watt played a total of 38 snaps on defense, 32 of which came on the left side. But he did have six on the right side, which included a sack in the first quarter. So, second-year tackle Will Campbell also has to be prepared to go up against him.”I went up against him last year,” Campbell told Patriots Wire. “He lines up on the left every now and then in every game. He’s a really talented player. They all are. So just trying to have a good week of practice and just be ready for the game.””He is who he is for a reason,” he added. “Ton of respect for him and those other guys. So just got to have a good week of practice.”Watt has been a major focus for the Patriots this week as they prepare for the Steelers, and one rookie has been tasked with the duty of portraying him on the scout team.”It’s a big expectation of how they see me,” rookie edge defender Quintayvious Hutchins told Patriots Wire. “But it’s also just giving the best look I can give to the offense to be prepared for the game as much as I can.”Earlier in the week, head coach Mike Vrabel was asked what goes into effectively stopping Watt, and his quick response said it all. “When you figure it out, let me know,” he said.”A great athlete, very instinctive, athletic, explosive g
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