Life without T.J. Watt is a terrifying one for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
That was on display time and time again in the 2022 season as Pittsburgh went just 1-6 without Watt in the lineup in the first half of the season due to a partially torn pectoral muscle the 2021 Defensive Player of the Year suffered late in the fourth quarter in the Week 1 win at Cincinnati.
Without Watt, Pittsburgh couldn’t get to the quarterback consistently, didn’t force many turnovers and really had no answer for opposing offenses. Once he returned to the lineup in Week 10 against the New Orleans Saints though, the Steelers were a different team, going 7-2 down the stretch to finish 9-8 on the year.
Therefore, Watt is very clearly the player the Steelers “can’t afford to lose” this season, according to CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin.
“Alex Highsmith filled out the stat sheet filling in for Watt in 2022, but the latter’s injury-related absence was still felt throughout Mike Tomlin’s defense. This remains a team built around that side of the ball, and Watt’s ferocious edge work can’t be replicated,” Benjamin writes.
When he’s healthy, there are few — if any — pass rushers better than Watt. He’s an absolute game-wrecker, one that opposing offenses have to gameplan around.
Prior to last season, the Steelers were 0-4 without Watt in the lineup. That record stretched to just 1-10 thanks to the 1-6 stretch last season. That’s how impactful Watt is overall.
Since entering the league in 2017, Watt has missed just 11 games.
Watt missed his first game in 2017 against the Chicago Bears, a 23-17 loss on the road. Watt then didn’t miss a game again until the final week of the regular season in 2020, sitting out the game against the Cleveland Browns on the road — a 24-22 loss with the Steelers having playoffs locked up.
Watt then missed two games in 2021, including a 24-10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3, and then a 41-37 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on the road in Week 10. All of that led to the 1-6 stretch last season with Pittsburgh losing to New England, Cleveland, the New York Jets, Buffalo, Miami and Philadelphia, though the Steelers were able to squeeze out a win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 20-18, without Watt.
He’s a tremendous player, one who remains arguably the best defensive player in football at the age of 29. He’s struggled with injuries the last two years, but if he can stay healthy he should be able to return to his form from the 2021 season. Undoubtedly, he is the player the Steelers can’t afford to lose, as he’s the straw that stirs the drink for the Black and Gold.
