Pittsburgh Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt crept up on the team’s October 19 injury report with a heel injury and, since then, hasn’t quite been the havoc-wreaker we’ve grown accustomed to.
Details on the injury are unknown, but it’s limited him in practice over the past two weeks and likely again in this week’s quick turnaround. In-game, it could be affecting his power and push-off — two critical traits in a pass-rusher’s ability to perform at a high level.
Sure, not every outside linebacker gets a sack every week — but we’re talkin’ T.J. Watt here. This is a guy who was leading the league in sacks early on and was on pace for 34 sacks after just two games in. Of course, there are a myriad of other ways a player can make an impact beyond sacks, and Watt has with two defended passes and a near pick-six. But it’s interesting to note that Watt has only had .5 since suffering the heel injury.
Watt and Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett are now neck-and-neck, knotted for third in sacks. Browns fans are cocky enough about Garrett being better than Watt, which stats show to be untrue. Let’s not let this season be one where he gets outshined in the sack department or, worse yet, earns Defensive Player of the Year honors. We’ll never hear the end of it.
Let’s see what he can do against a Tennessee Titans team that is down their starting quarterback in Ryan Tannehill. Rookie Will Levis got the starting nod in Week 8 and took two sacks in his career debut. He also threw four touchdowns and no picks — but that’s something more of a concern for Pittsburgh’s struggling secondary that will be playing without its leader, Minkah Fitzpatrick. Of interest to the D-line unit, there are 21 sacks between the two quarterbacks playing behind an offensive line ranked 30th.
Certainly, a limited Watt is far better than no Watt at all. We’re just glad he’s out there, and the Steelers defense is, too.
This isn’t meant as a criticism, merely an observation. Watt was dominating but has let up on the gas in recent weeks. Maybe, just maybe, the heel injury is a bigger deal than the Pittsburgh Steelers are letting on.
