Steelers' T.J. Watt Dealing With New Surprise Injury

J.J. Watt revealed that the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive star has a different injury he's dealing with.

Oct 28, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt (90)gets ready to take the field against the New York Giants during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images / Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers were unable to get anything to go defensively in their Christmas Day loss to the Chiefs, where they gave up 29 en route to a 29-10 loss.

Part of the reason they couldn't produce was elite linebacker T.J. Watt's inability to make an impact. Most of which can be attributed to great offensive line play by the Chiefs, but it is apparent that Watt was not playing at full strength.

During the game, sideline reporter Melanie Collins remarked that Watt had been dealing with an injury to his right thumb. The hand is specifically relevant, however, as Watt uses his right hand as the "punch-out" hand for his forced fumbles.

According to his brother J.J., who was doing color commentary for the game, his thumb injury had bugged him more than his ankle injury.

He had injured his ankle in the Week 15 loss to the Eagles, but had not sat out of any action other than late in that game.

Watt was still able to get a tackle for a loss, but seemed to not be able to create much else in the Steelers loss. They will likely need him in his best shape for their final matchup against the Bengals, as seeding implications are on the line. With the Ravens making a push at the end of the season, a divisional title is no longer a given and Wild Card seeding for the playoffs will prove important.

Watt is still favored to win the Defensive Player of the Year award, but his performance today did not reflect that. He will likely make an impact in the next game with his teams future on the line and prove why he is one of the best defensive players in the National Football League.

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