The Pittsburgh Steelers are riding high following their Week 16 upset victory over the Detroit Lions and are the clear-cut frontrunners in the AFC North with a 9-6 record. Unfortunately for the Steelers, they will be without their best player as they try to clinch the division on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns.
Pittsburgh announced Friday that star pass rusher T.J. Watt will miss the game despite returning to practice this week. Watt has been trending in the right direction after suffering a partially collapsed lung during a dry needling mishap. On Wednesday, he attended practice for the first time since undergoing surgery, though he was listed as a limited participant.
The Steelers will now target a Week 18 return for Watt as they gear up for a playoff run. Just having Watt back on the practice field provided a boost to his teammates.
“It’s awesome to have him out there,” pass rusher Alex Highsmith said, via ESPN. “Just seeing him back out in the field with us, he’s getting better every single day, so I think just to have him back out there, just as a leader for our group, it’s just awesome to see. Excited to see how he continues to work his way back.”
Two weeks ago, Watt went to a Pittsburgh hospital after experiencing discomfort in his chest. That led to him undergoing surgery to repair a partially collapsed lung.
“TJ had successful surgery to stabilize and repair a partially collapsed lung suffered Wednesday after a dry needling treatment session at the facility,” Watt’s brother, J.J. Watt, posted on social media on Dec. 12. ” He and his family are very appreciative of everyone’s kind words and well wishes.”
Watt has 53 combined tackles, 10 tackles for loss, seven sacks, three forced fumbles and one interception in the first 13 games of the season. The 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year is the league leader in forced fumbles (36) and QB hits (243) since being selected with the No. 30 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, and has recorded the fifth-most sacks in a player’s first nine seasons all-time with 115.0.
The Steelers can officially clinch the AFC North with a win over the Browns on Sunday or a Baltimore Ravens loss to the Green Bay Packers on Saturday. Pittsburgh is looking to extend a three-game win streak in which the team is averaging 28 points per game.
