T.J.

Watt

Rooney added that the team hopes they “can have (Watt) for the future, beyond this year.” That sounds about right. One of the most decorated pass rushers in the league, Watt has amassed 108 sacks during the first eight years of his career and racked up 11.5 sacks along with 19 TFLs this season while earning Second-Team All-Pro honors. He will be 30 at the start of next season and should still have plenty of high-end years to offer the Steelers. It wouldn’t be at all surprising if the two sides re-upped under another lucrative deal before the start of next season.

Things were trending in this direction after Watt was seen practicing earlier in the week. The Steelers will have their star pass rusher available to them in Saturday’s AFC North battle against the Ravens despite suffering his ankle injury less than a week ago. Watt has totaled 54 tackles and 11.5 sacks this season and has totaled four sacks in his last three games. While Watt will be active, cornerback Donte Jackson (back) is officially questionable after logging a limited practice on Friday.

Watt was spotted at Thursday’s practice and will presumably be listed as limited, just as he was on Thursday. The star pass rusher said his ankle has felt pretty good this week, which seems like enough to suggest he’ll have a chance to suit up for the pivotal AFC North tilt. The Steelers will release their final injury report shortly, but it wouldn’t be surprising if he was a game-time decision for Saturday.

Watt’s Wednesday return bodes positively for his Week 16 availability, putting him on track to play against the Ravens. Watt had a big impact when these teams played each other in Week 11, notching five quarterback pressures and 1.0 NFL sacks.

The Steelers often give Watt a veteran day off at the start of the week, so it’s hard to read too much into this as far as it relates to his odds of suiting up on Saturday. A DNP on Wednesday would be much more telling for Watt’s status against the Ravens in Week 16.

Tomlin said after Week 15’s loss to the Eagles that the team believed Watt suffered a low-ankle sprain. The hope is that the sprain is so low that Watt will be able to suit up for a pivotal AFC North clash with the Ravens on Saturday in a game that would decide the division if the Steelers were to walk away victorious. This will be an injury worth monitoring all week.

While low-ankle sprains can be less serious than high-ankle sprains, the injury’s specifics are currently unknown and the severity could still jeopardize Watt’s Week 16 availability. The 10-4 Steelers take on the 9-5 Ravens in a must-win game next Sunday.

We don’t know the specifics of Watt’s injury, but the star pass rusher stayed down on the field, grabbing at his left foot/ankle after pursuing Jalen Hurts on a pass rush. Watt was seen on the sidelines being looked at before leaving for the locker room, and with so little time left in the game, it seems unlikely he’ll be back for this one. Watt tallied two sacks and one TFL on the day.

The absence of Watt is perhaps the biggest loss for either team in today’s contest, but the Steelers enter Monday with most of their starters ready to go. Pittsburgh has leaned heavily on the ground game over the last three weeks and has seen a resurgence in Najee Harris. Harris is expected to have a big role in Monday’s contest against a Bills defense that has proven vulnerable at times against the run.

Watt sustained an MCL injury in Week 18 against Baltimore and could miss more time in the postseason if the Steelers pull the upset against Buffalo. Losing Watt is a major blow to the Steelers defense, which pressured the passer at the NFL’s eighth highest rate during the regular season. Watt was 14th in QB hurries this season; his 20 sacks led the NFL. Josh Allen’s matchup gets that much easier.