How much time will T.J. Watt miss due to his ankle injury?
After recording two sacks and a forced fumble, Steelers OLB T.J. Watt added an ankle injury to his final tally. While the Steelers certainly didn’t lose because of Watt’s injury, it will be a problem if he can’t make it back very soon.
According to reports, Watt only appears to have suffered a low ankle sprain. That was a favorable outcome given the lack of video evidence of a clear mechanism for injury. But the Steelers are playing on two short weeks, on the road on Saturday in Baltimore, then Wednesday at home. Even if Watt manages to play, he will likely feel that ankle and suffer for it.
T.J. Watt had been fortunate to remain healthy up to this point of the season, but his luck ran out. Now at 11.5 sacks and six forced fumbles on the year, he is having a fairly typical season despite a good deal of handwringing. And frankly, his absence would likely say a lot more about how he is playing than his presence would. We unfortunately found that to be the case during his extended absence in 2022.
There would hardly have been a worse time for this injury in the regular season, of course. During the hardest part of their schedule, playing three games in 11 days, including two on the road, all against obvious playoff teams. In the midst of that, they potentially lose T.J. Watt, or have him at less than desirable health.
Because of the short week, we will get a Tomlin Monday, at which point we should hopefully get some update on Watt. He has already undergone testing, but if he avoids significant swelling, that is a good sign.
I probably don’t need to remind you that the Steelers almost always lose when T.J. Watt doesn’t play. While they have Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig back, Watt is clearly the Steelers’ Batman. They simply are not the same defense without him, and teams don’t play them like they are. So if they can get him back for Baltimore or Kansas City, that would be a big deal.
The Steelers’ 2024 season is underway, following another disappointing year ending in a first-round playoff loss. They have had a long offseason since the Buffalo Bills stamped them out of their misery back in January. There are positive signs, but things could jump off the rails any moment.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Is Russell Wilson earning a lucrative new deal next year, and is Justin Fields still in consideration? How will the team continue to address the depth chart, which is surprisingly still in flux?
The regular season is here, following weeks of camp and preseason games. The Steelers made numerous moves through signings and trade—and release. More than usual, they seemed comfortable creating holes, confident they can fill them. Some they managed to fill, others not so much. Now that we have so many pieces of the puzzle, however, we merely have a new set of questions to ask.
