Steelers’ Mike Tomlin Gives Promising Update On TJ Watt”s Injured Ankle

The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered a big loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday and fell to 10-4 on the season, but they still managed to clinch a playoff spot in Week 15 thanks to the result of other games around the league. Pittsburgh got beat in pretty much every phase of the game against the Eagles, but one bright spot was TJ Watt. The star outside linebacker made big plays in the first half that kept Pittsburgh in the game, but unfortunately he went down with a scary ankle injury in the fourth quarter.

Watt forced a fumble early in the game, and he also recorded two sacks in the first half. He was having arguably his best game of the 2024 season when he went down with an injury. Obviously Watt going down was extremely concerning. This is the most important part of the season, and the Steelers notoriously struggle without Watt as they have a 1-10 record when he is unavailable. Head Coach Mike Tomlin spoke to the media on Monday, and the coach provided a promising update on the outside linebacker.

“There were some guys that went down in-game that are going to be evaluated. The door is ajar for those guys.” Tomlin said. “TJ Watt. I just saw him, walking around rather comfortably. But again, he is questionable with his ankle. We’ll see where the road leads us.”

The injury looked to Watt looked like it could have been bad when it originally happened in the game. After the game it became clear that it was a low-ankle sprain of some variety, and Watt even got tested and told the media he just twisted his ankle. It seems like it is a possibility he will be on the field in against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 16.

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Steelers’ TJ Watt gets the defense pumped up before a victory over the Baltimore Ravens in 2024.

This battle with the Ravens is extremely, as the Steelers could clinch the division with a victory. However, Pittsburgh needs to start thinking about the playoffs as well. If there is a chance that Watt’s ankle could get worse, or if there is any risk at all in letting him get back on the field immediately then the organization should hold off and let him get fully healthy. The star outside linebacker wasn’t able to play during the postseason in 2023, and fans don’t want to see that again.

Watt is currently the leader in the Defensive Player Of The Year race, and he strengthened his case even more on Sunday. He typically has big games against Baltimore, so if he is available on Saturday he should be able to make his presence felt against the division rival. The next three games are extremely critical when it comes to seeding in the AFC, so Pittsburgh needs to really think through how it wants to approach this injury.

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T.J. Watt scoops a loose ball for the first score in Pittsburgh’s Wildcard lose to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022.

Steelers Need To Exercise Caution With TJ Watt

Tomlin has shown a trend of exercising caution with injuries during the 2024 season. The coach is always preaching about not allowing a small problem to evolve into a bigger problem, and that has to be the mindset with Watt’s ankle injury. The upcoming game against the Ravens is obviously important as the division is on the line, but so is having a chance in the postseason. Fans want to see a playoff win, and it is hard to imagine the Steelers will be able to get one without Watt on the field.

Tomlin and the rest of the coaching staff need to be sure Watt is 100 percent before sending him back on the field. The organization can’t afford for the injury to get worse, especially at this time of year. As the week moves on fans should get a better idea of just how bad the injury is, and whether or not Watt will be on the field in Baltimore.