The Pittsburgh Steelers were without star pass-rusher T.J. Watt as they tried to complete a second-half comeback against the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night. Watt has suffered a groin injury in the first half of this Week 14 matchup and after initially being listed as questionable to return, the team downgraded him to out at halftime. While the 27-year-old wasn’t able to get back onto the field in that game, there is optimism that his absence won’t be much longer than that.
On Friday, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported that Watt suffered just a tweak in his groin and avoided anything more serious beyond that. Given that the Steelers now have extra time before they hit the field again — 10 days to be exact — there’s a chance that they will have Watt available when they face the Tennessee Titans on Dec. 19.
Watt exited the game when the Steelers were trailing Minnesota 23-0 at halftime. However, Pittsburgh was able to rally with a 21-point fourth-quarter and had an opportunity to force overtime right until the final play of the game. As the Steelers dropped 28 points in the second half, the Vikings were able to keep them at arm’s length by adding 13 points on their own over the final two quarters. Certainly, having the Defensive Player of the Year favorite would have been helpful in that comeback attempt.
This season, Watt has again been a sack machine and is currently tied with James Harrison for the single-season record for the franchise with 16. Through 11 games played, Watt has totaled 27 quarterback hits, 48 tackles (16 for a loss), and 37 pressures to go along with those sack numbers.
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