Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt has been ruled out for his team’s Wild Card Round matchup against the Buffalo Bills this Sunday, via Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin revealed the news at his press conference on Tuesday.
Watt suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain during Pittsburgh’s win over the Baltimore Ravens this past Saturday, so it’s not entirely surprising that he will not be available this coming weekend.
Watt’s older brother, former Houston Texans star defensive end J.J. Watt, said earlier in the week that his younger brother will need a “couple weeks” of rest.
The good news for Watt is that it was initially feared he sustained a Grade 3 sprain, which would have been a complete tear of a ligament.
Watt logged eight tackles and a couple of sacks against the Ravens before exiting.
On the season overall, Watt racked up 68 tackles and a league-leading 19 sacks to go along with an interception, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, eight passes defended and a defensive touchdown. He earned his sixth straight Pro Bowl selection and is also one of the leading candidates for the Defensive Player of the Year award.
The 29-year-old, who played his collegiate football at the University of Wisconsin, was selected by the Steelers with the 30th overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft.
In addition to his six Pro Bowl appearances, Watt has also notched First-Team All-Pro honors three times and will likely add a fourth First-Team All-Pro selection to his list of accolades this year.
Most notably, T.J. Watt won Defensive Player of the Year in 2021 when he tied Michael Strahan’s single-season record with 22.5 sacks.
The Steelers finished 9-8 this season.
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