5 times J.J. Watt proved he was the king of destroying NFL superstars

When J.J. Watt announced his retirement from the NFL at the end of the 2022 season, most fans acknowledged he was one of the best players in the league during his career.

The Houston Texans announced that they're honoring Watt by inducting him into their Ring of Honor during Houston's Week 4 bout with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Watt spent 10 seasons with the Texans before spending the final two years of his career with the Arizona Cardinals. In that time, Watt was a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and racked up 114.5 sacks and 195 TFLs.

He was a beast when healthy and an absolute nightmare for opposing quarterbacks. Here are five players against whom Watt proved his dominance.

#5 - Andrew Luck

Spending the majority of his career in the AFC South, J.J. Watt had his fair share of matchups with former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck.

Arguably Watt's best game against Luck came in 2014, the year he won NFL Defensive Player of the Year for the second time.

In Week 5 on TNF, Watt had two sacks on Luck, including a strip-sack, which he returned for a 45-yard touchdown. The Colts won the game, but Watt had a huge impression on this game.

#4 - Eli Manning

Right before Eli Manning called it a career, he faced off against Watt, who had a fine game in 2018. Despite losing 27-22, Watt had two sacks on Manning and clocked up eight combined tackles as he got through the Giants' offensive line at will.

Given these first two examples, had Watt been on a better team, there's no doubt he would have made it to a Super Bowl.

#3 - Carson Palmer

NFL legend Carson Palmer was heading towards the twilight of his career in 2013 when J.J. Watt faced off against his future employers, the Arizona Cardinals.

Watt had an outstanding game, clocking up two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, four tackles, and a sack. The Cardinals still edged out Houston 27-24, but Watt was definitely the best player on the field that day.

#2 - Matthew Stafford

J.J. Watt had some of his best career games against Matthew Stafford when he was playing for the Detroit Lions.

Back in 2012, Watt had 3.0 sacks and five total tackles against Detroit. He also had his first touchdown in six years against the Lions in 2020. On Thanksgiving of all days, Watt jumped the line of scrimmage and caught Stafford's attempted dump-off before taking it to the house.

#1 - Alex Smith

Before Patrick Mahomes turned up and took over for the Kansas City Chiefs, they had quarterback Alex Smith at the helm. Despite never having Mahomes' talent, Smith was an excellent quarterback in his own right, making three Pro Bowls while in Kansas.

In 2015, Smith and the Chiefs overcame the Texans 27-20, but not due to a lack of trying from J.J. Watt. Watt had nine combined tackles, 2.0 sacks, and six TFLs, as he took home a game ball despite the defeat.