Pittsburgh Steelers OLB T.J. Watt suffered an ankle injury in the team’s Week 15 loss against the Philadelphia Eagles, and it may cause him to miss the Week 16 game against the Baltimore Ravens. Speaking to the media today, Watt was unsure if he’s playing Saturday but seemed cautiously optimistic.
“We’ll have to see Saturday, but I feel pretty good right now,” Watt said via Chris Adamski of TribLive on Twitter.
ESPN’s Brooke Pryor tweeted that Watt said he felt good this week, albeit a caveat.
“We’ll see Sunday — or Saturday I guess I should say — but I felt pretty good this week. Obviously it’s a short week but felt pretty good,” he said.
He said that he’d like to play his full number of snaps, but if he can only play limited snaps, he’ll do so.
“I’m trying to be out there as much as I possibly can. Obviously I wouldn’t want to do that, but if that’s the only thing that I can do, I’m gonna take what I can get,” Watt said via video by Mike DeFabo of The Athletic.
He also said his availability is partially related to pain management and a little bit about not making sure the injury gets worse.
Even if Watt can’t play as much as he usually does, having him available in any capacity will be a big boost for the Steelers as they look to clinch a division title in Baltimore. Watt logged a limited practice yesterday, albeit in a walkthrough, and his practice participation today will be telling as to whether or not the team will have him suit up on Saturday.
Mike Tomlin said in his weekly press conference earlier this week that everyone who is healthy will play, and if Watt can prove he’s healthy enough to be on the field and play to his usual capabilities, the Steelers won’t have him on the bench in one of their biggest games of the season. The Steelers haven’t won a division title since 2020, and locking one up in Week 16 would be huge for them. A healthy Watt increases those chances against a potent Ravens offense, and it does sound as if he thinks he might be able to go.
The hope is that Watt will continue to feel good over the next two days and will be able to suit up. If he has any setbacks, it likely won’t be worth it to have him on the field. But if he stays the course, the Steelers could have their All-Pro outside linebacker available to help them contain Lamar Jackson.
Watt is currently the favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year, and he’s been a game-wrecker once again for the Steelers. This season, he’s totaled 11.5 sacks and six forced fumbles, and he had a sack in Pittsburgh’s Week 11 win over the Ravens. He’s someone that the Ravens will have to game plan against, and if he plays, the Steelers would have Watt and Alex Highsmith both healthy against Baltimore for the first time this season. Highsmith missed the Week 11 matchup with an ankle injury, and having two premier pass rushers healthy for the Steelers will make life a lot harder for Baltimore’s offense.
