NFL Injury Report: Setback for Steelers as TJ Watt Ruled Out of Wild Card Matchup Versus the Bills, Per Mike Tomlin

The worst has happened for the Pittsburgh Steelers. TJ Watt, the main defensive weapon of the squad, got injured in the Ravens game. It did not seem to be a serious injury then. And fans were hopeful that he would soon return to the game. But alas, Tuesday brought bad news for the team.

How could his status affect the Steelers’ first playoff game on Sunday? They will be up against the Buffalo Bills. Josh Allen is sure to take advantage of this, and puncture holes in Steelers’ defense.

What is TJ Watt’s status for the Wild Card game?

Since the linebacker joined the team in 2017, he has only missed 11 games. And guess how his team did in his absence? They lost 10 of 11 games without the linebacker. He also won the “Defensive Player of the Year” Award in 2021. That’s how crucial he is to the team’s success. And then HC Mike Tomlin broke the heartbreaking news. He said that Watt will not be playing on January 14.

He had injured himself in the third quarter of the game against the Ravens. Later, the Steelers announced that he suffered an MCL tear and sprain. But Watt himself was positive and hinted that he would be back for the playoff game.

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“But you never know, make a run, and things can happen.” TJ had tweeted. But it seems that fate had other plans for the linebacker. However, what will be the Steelers’ fate now that Watt is out of the picture?

Can the Steelers still win without him?

It’s likely that Markus Golden and rookie Nick Herbig will replace TJ Watt on the gridiron. But the substitutions don’t end there. Mason Rudolph, who’s just played 4 games this season, will also get a chance to play. Kenny Pickett will be sidelined and Rudolph will play instead. Many think that it’s due to Pickett’s performance for most of the season.

But now with Watt gone, will it be a field day for the Bills? The LB has recorded 19 sacks this season, which is an NFL record. But it seems that his team is not too anxious about him not playing. Alex Highsmith, a fellow LB, expressed his full confidence in the substitutes. “Nick and Markus, every time they’ve come in this year, they have been providing great reps.” 

This is a do-or-die situation for the Steelers. If they lose, they will be out of the running for the Super Bowl. Winning the Super Bowl is important for them, since it would make them the franchise with the most number of Vince Lombardi Trophies. Currently, they share the numero uno position with the New England Patriots at 6.

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