The Pittsburgh Steelers kept their playoff hopes alive with a 17-10 win over division rival Baltimore on Saturday, but it appears to have come at a huge cost.
Defensive MVP candidate TJ Watt is feared to have suffered a grade 3 left MCL sprain during the 3rd quarter, after which he was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the contest. While Watt lobbied to return to action, the Steelers shut down that request out of an abundance of caution.
The 29 year old was able to leave the field under his own power, but limped back to the locker room for further evaluations.
“I’ll have more information probably next time we get together,” head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters after the game. “Obviously disappointed in that, but there are challenges in the game of football, there are challenges in life. So we’ll deal with it, whatever it may be.”
Even with the win, there remains a chance the Steelers miss the postseason, pending results from Sunday’s slate of games. With Pittsburgh and Houston winning, the Steelers now need one of the following scenarios to play out:
-Buffalo loss to Miami
or
-Jaguars loss/tie against Tennessee
If Pittsburgh does indeed qualify for the playoffs, and tests confirm a grade 3 sprain (or worse) then it’s highly unlikely Watt would be medically cleared to participate. MCL sprains typically carry a minimum 3 week recovery period depending on the severity of the injury. That means Watt would be a spectator for first round of the playoffs and potentially longer if the Steelers advance.
However, speaking to “The NFL Today”, Watt’s brother JJ revealed that it was actually only a Grade 2 MCL sprain, which he called a “best-case scenario”. If that’s truly the case, then TJ’s timeline to return could be a quicker turnaround, however it doesn’t guarantee that he would be available for the first round.
Given the competitive nature of the younger Watt brother, one can assume he’ll be lobbying hard to get cleared if Pittsburgh advances. However this will remain a situation worth monitoring, likely right up until kick off on wildcard weekend.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
Photo: Erik Drost. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.