The Pittsburgh Steelers defense has been at the mercy of the Philadelphia Eagles for nearly the entirety of the interconference game. Needing a stop late to give the offense a chance at a comeback, the Steelers saw arguably the best player on the roster left the contest with a lower-body injury.
T.J. Watt was fighting through a block on a second and long and near the end of his rush came away from the block favoring his left leg. Watt left the game, leaving the field under his own power. It's not clear if the injury is to his foot or ankle, and he has yet to be designated with an official status by the team.
Watt has made as much of an impact as fans would expect in a big game environment. He leaves the game with 7 total tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble.
Steelers are in trouble if T.J. Watt misses time
Thankfully, edge linebacker is one of the deepest positions on the Steelers roster. Nick Herbig will pick up the bulk of the reps in Watt's absence with Preston Smith mixing in for him and Alex Highsmith on the opposite side.
Even if Watt is unavailable for the remainder of this game, it's critical for him to return quickly. A loss to Philadelphia makes a bid for the number one seed nearly unattainable, so they can't count on a playoff BYE. In the same vein, the Steelers play the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs within the next nine days, both of which will be critical in securing at least one postseason home game.
We'll continue to monitor Watt's status as more information becomes available.