The Pittsburgh Steelers lost the Battle for Pennsylvania and their best player in the process.
T.J. Watt went down with an injury in the team’s 27-13 loss to the Eagles in Philadelphia, adding insult to injury on a day to forget. The one-man wrecking crew put his stamp on the game, but it’s the injury that will leave the lasting image, especially as the Steelers inch toward the playoffs.
If the star is forced to miss time, that won’t bode well for their playoff hopes. Even if he’s limited, that can be a huge blow to a defense that relies on Watt’s ability to be a game-wrecker. Now Pittsburgh just has to hold its collective breath until further notice.
Here’s the latest on the Steelers’ star.
T.J. Watt injury update
Head coach Mike Tomlin said Watt is dealing with a low-ankle injury, but did not elaborate on severity.
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Watt left Sunday’s game with an injury to his lower leg and did not return. It’s unclear whether the star pass-rusher is dealing with an ankle or foot problem, but he went down in a heap of pain late in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Eagles.
Who is T.J. Watt’s backup on the Steelers depth chart?
If Watt is forced to miss time, the Steelers will be left with a few serviceable options on the depth chart. While they won’t be able to play up to the star’s level, they can certainly keep Pittsburgh’s defense afloat while they wait for Watt to return.
Preston Smith
Nick Herbig
T.J. Watt stats
Watt exited Sunday’s game with two sacks, seven tackles and a forced fumble. That brings his season total to 11.5 sacks, one behind the Bengals’ Trey Hendrickson for the league-lead.