Pittsburgh Steelers rule out T.J. Watt for playoff game.

The Pittsburgh Steelers needed what felt like the impossible to happen to get into the postseason. However, after some heroics, they found their way in. Unfortunately, superstar edge rusher T.J. Watt won’t be out on the field against the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card Round. Watt suffered a knee injury which was determined to be a Grade 2 MCL sprain and is considered multi-week. 

Without Watt on the field, containing Josh Allen and this phenomenal Bills offense would be incredibly difficult. Head coach Mike Tomlin knows that, but he also knows that this team is resilient. He said, “Playing without T.J. is significant. But to be quite honest with you we’ve played without a lot of people this year, it’s just another opportunity for us to strike a blow for the team.” Tomlin also made sure to note that it won’t just be one guy to replace Watt’s production against the run and when rushing the passer. He admitted that it’ll be a committee of rotating defensive lineman and linebackers to try and keep them afloat.

For those that might not know how severe his absence on the field is, Watt led the league in sacks with 19 of them. This is the third time in his career that he’s been able to accomplish that. On top of that, he’s got the most quarterback hits in the NFL with 36 of them this season. When he’s out there, opposing teams must pay a ton of attention towards him. Without him, it opens the field up, and makes them vulnerable to big plays.

As for other Steelers related news, star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick is optimistic to get on the field against Buffalo. He’s missed some time, but Tomlin stated that he’s been limited in practice with a good chance to make the field when the weekend comes around. Minkah, like Watt, is a tremendous talent that drastically improves the Steelers’ chances of winning. Of course, it’s hard to win games without a quarterback, which is why Pittsburgh announced that Mason Rudolph will continue to start under center for them. Rudolph is undefeated as the starter in Pittsburgh this season, he’s thrown for 716 yards, three touchdowns, and completed 74.5 percent of his pass attempts. Not only will Rudolph need to have a good day, but he’s also going to have to have a great day with the injuries to their very talented defense. A limited Fitzpatrick combined with the absence of Watt could make for a higher scoring game than Pittsburgh would like.

The Bills met with the Steelers in October of 2022, and Buffalo just ran them off the field.  They won 38-3 in that matchup thanks to Josh Allen. The Steelers still remember that beatdown that was laid down upon them, and fully understand that some of the most talented offenses in the league have torn them apart defensively in the past. For example, when they were blown out by the San Francisco 49ers. This group knows the tall task in front of them won’t be easy, but they’re more than prepared for the challenge.