This is not what anyone wanted to see. In the final game of the 2023 season for the Pittsburgh Steelers, T.J. Watt went down with a potentially serious knee injury late in the third quarter against the Baltimore Ravens in week 18.
The injury occurred on a play where Ravens QB Tyler Huntley was able to escape the pocket and roll to his right, as Watt gave chase, he jumped in an effort to deflect the ball and disrupt the passing lane. Unfortunately, he was hit with a bit of friendly fire. Teammate and defensive lineman Montravius Adams came down and collided with Watt's left knee.
Steelers need T.J. Watt for a potential playoff run
This is one of the worst things that could have happened to the Steelers in the final game of the season. Watt is clearly the best player on this team, and he was having a heck of a night before the injury. Prior to limping off the field at the end of the third quarter, Watt had compiled 8 tackles, 2.0 sacks, 3 tackles for a loss, and 2 QB hits, per ESPN stats.
With this performance, Watt owns the NFL sack lead with 19.0. Just one more sack would have made him only the second player in NFL history to earn 20-plus sacks twice (the only other was his big brother, J.J. Watt).
Watt was recently named the Steelers Team MVP for the fourth time -- becoming the only player to accomplish this feat since this became an official team award back in 1969.
If the Pittsburgh Steelers make it into the playoffs, they are going to need their best player to stand any shot at all of competing. However, the initial prognosis doesn't look encouraging. Let's hope that it's a minor injury and that T.J. Watt will bounce back soon. We all know how much he means to this organization.