The Steelers qualified for the 2024 NFL playoffs with a Week 18 victory over their AFC North division foe Ravens,
but they lost their most powerful defensive player in the process.
Star edge rusher T.J. Watt suffered a knee injury in the victory, putting his status in jeopardy for the postseason.
Watt was one of the top defensive players in the NFL this season, and he is considered a candidate for Defensive
Player of the Year among other pass-rushing talents such as the Browns’ Myles Garrett and the Cowboys’ Micah
Parsons.
Watt concluded the 2023 season with an NFL-high 19.0 sacks, making him the first player in NFL history to lead the
league in sacks three times. He also topped the league in sacks in 2020 and 2021.
Will the Steelers be without their three-time All-Pro edge rusher when they face the Bills in the first round on
Sunday, Jan. 14? The Sporting News has you covered with the most recent developments below.
Watt will not play in the Steelers’ AFC wild-card game against the Bills this Sunday.
This is a major blow to Pittsburgh, which has gone 1-10 in games without Watt since drafting him in 2017.
“Obviously, playing without T.J. is significant, but to be honest with you, we’ve played without a lot of people this
year,” Tomlin told reporters on Tuesday.
“It’s just another opportunity for us to strike a blow for team and demonstrate what team truly means: a group of
people who work together to create a result. It will not be a one-man task to replace T.J. It will be a committee
approach, just as I stated when Cameron Heyward missed a block of games.
“We need to improve our output in other areas because T.J. is one-of-a-kind, but that’s ball. There is an attrition
component to it. That’s what makes it the ultimate team sport.
Given the broad “couple weeks” schedule, the Steelers may have to wait until the AFC Championship Game for Watt
to return.
If Pittsburgh beats Buffalo, it will face the No. 1 seed Ravens in Baltimore in the AFC divisional round the following
Sunday.
