The Pittsburgh Steelers lost TJ Watt in the first game of the 2022 season. The defense was spectacular against the defending AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals and held on after losing Watt to upset the Bengals with a superhuman effort by Minkah Fitzpatrick. The outlook for the 2022 Steelers turned very bleak when a report of a torn pectoral muscle was revealed.
Photo Credit: Karl Roser/Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick races to the endzone for a pick-six in the Week 1 victory over the Bengals.
Watt joined the Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger podcast on Sunday. Ben Roethlisberger and Spencer T’eo asked if one injury in his career stood out. The former Defensive Player of the Year told the duo the injury that cost him seven games in 2022 fit that bill.
“Obviously the pec this past year was tough,” Watt began. “I mean having a great offseason, feeling really good going into the season but that is just one of those things. I was playing really well in Cincinnati. That’s just one of those things.”
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TJ Watt celebrates an interception against the Bengals on the opening day of the 2022 season
The Steelers’ defense dominated the Bengals in the season opener. In 2021, the Bengals had talked about the Steelers quitting and the Pittsburgh defense took it personally. Watt had an interception, sack and three tackles for loss in the opening game and Pittsburgh seemed like it was on the verge of a 20-14 victory when disaster struck. The Steelers All-Pro linebacker took Roethlisberger through the play in detail.
“On the play that I got hurt, the clock was running. They were out of timeouts, fourth quarter like 20-something seconds left on the clock. I got a hand-to-the-face penalty. I had Joe Burrow locked up and that is how my arm got stuck behind me. That is how I tore my pec.”
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Steelers TJ Watt
Watt’s penalty was disastrous on two fronts. It stopped the clock for the Bengals who were trying to mount a desperate comeback and the Steelers five-time Pro Bowl linebacker thought his season was over. Watt laid the blame for the injury at his own feet.
“I’ve replayed that play in my mind,” Watt shared. "If I just kept my hands low, there is no hands in the face, A. B, just stay on my feet, wrap him up, and take him down games over, pec is fine. The amount of times I have drove myself nuts thinking like that, you know what I mean? Those like one or two days while you’re waiting for the scans to come back, I was talking to my brothers, Derek tore his pec, JJ tore his pec. They kind of knew what was going on. In my head, I’m like 'okay the season’s over.'”
The diagnosis of a torn pec is normally a season-ending injury. Watt’s injury was not quite as severe as his brothers’ and there was a chance he could return depending on how the muscle responded to rest and rehabilitation.
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Steelers TJ Watt observes while rehabbing a pectoral injury
The NFL single-season sack record co-holder embraced the opportunity to return to the field in 2022.
“You get the scans and it’s like okay we are going to try to rehab it and see what happens,” Watt concluded. “You have that moment where you have to flip it back on. It never really got to 100 percent; it was like every little thing. I had a rib, I had a thumb, this is one of those years for me where I could never get 100 percent fully healthy, so it is a little frustrating. I feel great now.”
The Steelers superstar worked hard to get back on the field in 2022. After the bye, he returned to the field against the New Orleans Saints in Week 10. Pittsburgh was 2-6 and celebrated Watt's return to the fold with a 20-10 victory. The Steelers went on a frantic 7-2 run with him back in the lineup and fell just short of the AFC playoffs.
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TJ Watt celebrates return to field against Saints
Steelers TJ Watt Is A Serious MVP Candidate If They Complete Miraculous Run To The Postseason
Watt’s value to the Steelers was evident in 2022. The Steelers went 7-2 with him in the lineup and 2-6 without him. He commands double and triple teams that free up Cameron Heyward and Alex Highsmith in one-on-one matchups. Watt is a deserving MVP candidate who might finally break the quarterback stranglehold on the award if Pittsburgh returns to the AFC playoffs in 2023.
What do you think Steeler Nation? Is a healthy Watt a serious MVP contender in 2023? Please comment below or on my Twitter @thebubbasq.
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