Steelers' TJ Watt's Poor Late-Season Performance Has Strong Explanation

The Pittsburgh Steelers' 2024 season started off strong, but it came to a screeching halt during the final stretch of the regular season. The Steelers ended the regular season on a four-game losing streak, which eventually extended to five games after losing to the Baltimore Ravens during the Wild Card Round in the playoffs. This is the sixth consecutive playoff loss for the Steelers, and the organization hasn't been able to advance in the postseason since the 2016 NFL season.

The most disappointing part of the Steelers' collapse is that the organization rosters the highest-paid defense in the league. TJ Watt, Cam Heyward, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Patrick Queen headline the defensive unit. 

Only Heyward showed up consistently over the last month of the year, with Watt seemingly disappearing over the last month, which is something he has never done during his career. Many fans have been worried about the lack of production from Watt, but insider Mark Kaboly explained that he has been dealing with multiple injuries.

Watt hasn't been very productive recently, and it makes sense considering he suffered an ankle injury back in Week 15 against the Philadelphia Eagles. He didn't miss any games after the ankle injury, and the Steelers were forced to play three games in 10 days against Philadelphia, Baltimore and the Kansas City Chiefs. He played through the pain, but he definitely hasn't been completely healthy.

Kaboly suspects that Watt is dealing with more than just an ankle injury, which obviously effects an edge rusher tremendously. It was mentioned on the Christmas Day broadcast against the Chiefs that Watt is also battling through a thumb injury, and he injured his elbow during the playoff game against the Ravens. The star defender was not himself near the end of the year, and the slew of injuries explains why.

Throughout the 2024 season, Watt recorded 11.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, and 61 total tackles. This was Watt's lowest sack total during a season where he did not miss his game since his rookie season in 2017. His season was still extremely productive, and he even had three sacks called back due to penalties on the defense.

Many fans have been doubting Watt throughout the rough end to the season. He did not record a sack over the last four games of the year, which is completely unheard of for the star defender. He will reach full health during the offseason and return to dominant form during the 2025 season. Watt still has not been able to win a playoff game throughout his career, which is a serious blemish on his resume.

Steelers Needed More Production From Other Pass Rushers

With Watt banged up, the Steelers needed more production from other pass rushers on the defense. Far too often over the losing streak the opposing quarterback was able to sit back in the pocket comfortably. This was how Lamar Jackson was able to completely pick apart the defense two times. The Steelers struggled to make the opposing offense uncomfortable, and it is hard to disrupt and stop high-powered offenses if you cannot get any pressure.

The organization will need to reevaluate the defense during the 2025 offseason. The highest-paid defense in the league should not be as troubling as this unit was, which means Pittsburgh may need to change how it builds its roster moving forward and relocate some resources to the offensive side of the ball.

What did you think about Watt's end to the season? Let us know in the comments below!

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