Steelers need to escape 2022 Pro Bowl without injuries to their star players

The Pittsburgh Steelers have several key representatives in the 2022 Pro Bowl, but here’s why they simply need to escape the game without injuries. 

In my younger years, I really used to enjoy watching my favorite players take the stage for the 2022 Pro Bowl. I loved seeing the black helmet with the Steelers emblem and know that my team had some of the best of the best in the business.

Anymore, however, I’m not a particularly big fan of the game. The Pro Bowl has become somewhat of a joke over the years, and the game itself is meaningless. While players typically try to turn it on towards the end in an effort to receive a bigger bonus check that’s divvied out to the winners, it’s mildly entertaining at best.

However, the biggest reason that I’m not a particularly big fan of the Pro Bowl is that I’m scared to death that a star player from my team will come down with a big injury in a meaningless game.

This doesn’t happen often, but we have seen this in the past. It’s not that any player from this game is trying to be malicious, but accidents happen and sometimes they are completely unavoidable (like non-contact knee injuries).

It’s bad enough to see a player from a rival team carted off the field in a game that has no significance, but if it were to happen to the Steelers, it could ruin their shot at a competitive season in 2022.

Steelers must avoid injuries in the 2022 Pro Bowl

T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward were continuously named to the 2022 Pro Bowl roster. These are arguably the two most important players currently on the roster for obvious reasons.

While Watt and Heyward were the only Steelers who made the pro bowl initially, RB Najee Harris and WR Diontae Johnson were later added to the roster as Joe Mixon and Ja’Marr Chase dropped out with the Cincinnati Bengals in the Super Bowl.

Though I don’t expect any foul play or a lot of violent tackling, I honestly don’t love having two more players added to the Pro Bowl roster this year.

Najee Harris carried the load more than any running back in football as a rookie. While one more exhibition game isn’t going to be devastating to his career, I would hate for him to plant on his foot wrong or suffer an injury in a meaningless game. The same goes for Diontae Johnson.

The biggest blow would obviously be if something happened to T.J. Watt. The three-time First-Team All-Pro edge defender is likely to be named the AP Defensive Player of the Year for his outstanding effort in 2022 after tying Michael Strahan’s sack record with 22.5 this year. Losing him to start the season would be catastrophic.

By all means, I encourage fans who enjoy the Pro Bowl to lounge in front of the TV and watch the best football players in the world take the field for a fun-loving exhibition game. Just know that I’m, going to be holding my breath every time a Steelers player is involved in a play. Let’s just escape this game without any injuries and I’ll be happy.