Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt OUT with knee injury

T.J. Watt is out for the remainder of the game.

Shortly after taking the league lead in sacks, T.J. Watt headed to the sideline with what looked to be a friendly-fire knee injury.

After a stint in the medical tent, Watt exited the field under his own power. He’s been ruled out for the remainder of the game.

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Steelers land 2 defenders on Pro Bowl roster

Pittsburgh didn’t get many players named to the 2024 Pro Bowl games.

The NFL released the rosters for the 2024 Pro Bowl games on Wednesday and two members of the Pittsburgh Steelers defense made the cut. Outside linebacker T.J. Watt and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick were both voted onto the team.

For Watt, this is his sixth Pro Bowl in seven NFL seasons as he once again leads the NFL in sacks. Watt joins Los Angeles Chargers Khalil Mack and the Jacksonville Jaguars Josh Allen as the three representatives in the AFC.

Fitzpatrick was named to his fourth Pro Bowl. This is despite missing multiple games this season with a knee injury. We understand that often times the Pro Bowl vote is more about name recognition but we are happy to see Fitzpatrick’s name on the list regardless of the reason.

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Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt’s injury leaves status vs. Ravens up in the air

Fans held their breath as T.J. Watt went down late in the Steelers 30-23 victory over the Seahawks.

Fans held their breath as T.J. Watt went down late in the Pittsburgh Steelers 30-23 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

In an attempt to sack Geno Smith, Watt was held by tackle Stone Forsythe and pancaked awkwardly to the turf. He was helped up but walked off the field under his own power. He re-entered the game after taking off a couple of snaps.

After the game, Mike Tomlin said about Watt: “T.J. got injured in-game, but I think he’s gonna be okay.”

The undisclosed injury could limit Watt’s practice this week but shouldn’t affect his availability for Pittsburgh’s season finale versus the Baltimore Ravens.

It was a quiet contest for Watt, who finished with just two tackles and a quarterback hit.

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Steelers LB T.J. Watt still not favorite for DPOY

T.J. Watt is having another dominant season but isn’t the favorite for DPOY.

The folks over at BetMGM have updated their odds for Defensive Player of the Year and despite being the current sack leader, Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt remains something of a longshot. Here are the current odds for DPOY.

J.J. Watt ‘so sick’ of the conversation surrounding Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt

J.J. Watt is tired of the debate about who’s the best defensive player in the NFL.

Whether you like it or not, sacks are where it’s at for defensive players in the NFL. It’s the stat for which most are judged on their success. And though it’s a narrow margin, T.J. Watt is, once again, leading the league with 16.

Watt’s older brother, future Hall of Famer J.J. Watt, is tired of the debate about who’s the best defensive player in the NFL.

“He’s the best defensive player in football,” Watt said on the Dec. 20 Pat McAfee Show. “I’m so sick of the conversation.”

“He does it every single week. Teams double-team him, triple-team him, he gets held. I don’t know what more you’d want from an argument standpoint.”

Watt feels a certain way about fans who want to look outside of the stats.

“Some people want to say don’t look at the statistics. I’m like, ‘Hey, dumbass, that’s how you judge stuff in football.’ You judge teams by wins, you judge players by stats, that’s how this s–t works. Why do we keep track of anything? Oh, I don’t know… maybe it’s because that’s how you judge who’s good and who’s not.”

“Guys got the most sacks. He’s the best. What do you want?”

You call him biased, but you can’t call him wrong.

Whether that will hold up in the final three games remains to be seen. The only year over the past four that Watt hasn’t accomplished this feat of NFL sack leader was when he was sidelined for half of the 2022 season.

According to DraftKings Sportsbook, Watt ranks third in the Defensive Player of the Year race.

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Where does Steelers’ EDGE T.J. Watt rank in Defensive Player of the Year odds?

Year after year, essentially ever since entering the league via the Steelers 30th overall pick in 2017, T.J. Watt has been in the DPOY conversation. 

Year after year, essentially ever since entering the league via the Pittsburgh Steelers 30th overall pick in 2017, T.J. Watt has been in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation.

This season, Watt’s picked up where he left off during his 2021 DPOY campaign, currently boasting a league-leading 16, thanks to two sacks on Indianapolis Colts’ Gardner Minshew in Week 15. Watt would need seven sacks in the next three games to surpass his 22.5 mark (tied-most ever) set in his DPOY season. Translation: Not happening.

According to Covers.com, which tracks the award race via DraftKings Sportsbook, Watt currently ranks third (+360) behind Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons (-110) and Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (+165). It’s fun to note that Garrett hasn’t had a sack since racking up two versus the Steelers in Week 11 — but he’s also been playing with a bum shoulder, an injury he suffered in Week 12.

In September — granted, it was after just the second week of the season — Watt was on pace for 34 sacks. That’s double where he’ll likely finish the 2023 season. The pace fell off after three weeks with zero sacks and two with a half-sack.

Let’s face it, sacks are where it’s at in the minds of NFL media that determine who receives the honor. But, unfortunately for Watt, they also weigh heavily the overall success of the player’s unit and team.

And we all know where that leaves Watt. We won’t hear his name when the winner is announced at the NFL Honors ceremony on February 10.

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Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt clears concussion protocol, will play vs. Colts

T.J. Watt has cleared concussion protocol and will take the field at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday. 

There’s good news out of Pittsburgh, folks! Steelers’ Senior Director of Communications Burt Lauten tweeted tonight that T.J. Watt has cleared concussion protocol. The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly tweeted moments later that Watt will take the field at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday.

Watt missed just five snaps after taking a nasty leg to the head in the New England Patriots loss. He was placed in concussion protocol only after reporting symptoms on Friday.

The NFL and NFLPA are reviewing the situation’s circumstances to ensure everything was done according to the rules.

Alex Highsmith remains in concussion protocol but practiced on a limited basis yesterday and today. Watt was limited on Tuesday but practiced fully this afternoon.

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Steelers HC Mike Tomlin plays dumb about T.J. Watt’s concussion protocol

Mike Tomlin claims he was unaware that T.J. Watt switched to a tinted visor after taking a blow to the head last week.

On the first play from scrimmage of Pittsburgh’s Week 14 loss to the New England Patriots, T.J. Watt took a massive blow to the face while making a tackle on running back Zeke Elliott.

Watt was in and out of the lineup as trainers checked his mouth and jaw. Later in the game, he went into the medical tent with the NFL’s concussion observer but was never diagnosed.

He reported symptoms upon arriving at the Steelers facility on Friday, and both he and Alex Highsmith were placed in concussion protocol.

He returned to the field wearing a tinted visor instead of the clear one he typically wears.

Tomlin played dumb when asked about why he switched visors. “I wasn’t aware of that to be honest with you, so I don’t have a response to that,” he said during his Monday press conference. “I wasn’t aware that he changed visors or… he normally wears a visor. You mean the tint of his visor was different? Yeah, I wasn’t aware of that.”

There’s absolutely no way Tomlin was unaware of the tinted visor, and if he was, he’s far more disconnected from this team than it already appears.

The NFL has not announced if it will investigate whether Pittsburgh mishandled the concussion protocol process. But Tomlin pretending to have no idea of the step taken for Watt’s “migraine” further shines a spotlight on the already suspicious situation.

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Steelers starting outside linebackers both in concussion protocol

T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith are both in the league’s concussion protocol.

The Pittsburgh Steelers announced on Saturday that outside linebacker T.J. Watt had been placed in concussion protocol after reporting symptoms on Friday at the team facility.

So Watt now joins fellow starting outside linebacker Alex Highsmith in the concussion protocol. Highsmith was knocked out of Thursday night’s loss to the New England Patriots with what was originally characterized as a neck injury before being ruled out with a concussion.

Watt took a huge hit to the head early in the game when he caught an inadvertent knee to the head while making a tackle. Watt didn’t report any symptoms during the game and was in and out of the lineup. Watt definitely didn’t look like he was 100 percent during the game but he was evaluated and cleared to return to action.

The Steelers now have a could of extra days to get Watt and Highsmith healthy before they take on the Indianapolis Colts on a Saturday. This game is likely to determine the ultimate outcome of the Steelers season if they still hold even the slimmest of playoff aspirations.

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Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt leads OLB in Pro Bowl voting

T.J. Watt is having a huge season.

Voting for the 2023 Pro Bowl is live and Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt currently leads the NFL in voting at his position. Here’s how the top 10 break down.

1 – T.J. Watt, Steelers

2 – Micah Parsons, Cowboys

3 – Josh Allen, Jaguars

4 – Danielle Hunter, Vikings

5 – Kayvon Thibodeaxu, Giants

6 – Hasson Reddick, Eagles

7 – Bradley Chubb, Browns

8 – Rahan Gary, Packers

9 – Joey Bosa, Chargers

10 – Kyle Van Noy, Ravens

Watt is currently first in the AFC with 14.0 sacks. He trails only Chicago Bears EDGE who leads the league with 15.0. Watt also has three forced fumbles, seven passes defended and a defensive touchdown.

Other Steelers in the top 10 of their perspective positions are safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and special teams ace Miles Killebrew. punter Pressley Harvin III and long snapper Christian Kuntz.

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