T.J. Watt seemingly dodged the worst possible news regarding his injury suffered in Week 18.
During the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 17-10 victory over the rival Baltimore Ravens, keeping their playoff hopes alive, Watt injured his ankle colliding with teammate Montravius Adams and was in notable pain, needing to be removed from Saturday’s contest in the third quarter, never to return.
Watt was able to limp off, but people were worried about him missing the NFL playoffs should the Steelers clinch a spot.
However, J.J. Watt, T.J.’s older brother who is now retired from the NFL, revealed on Sunday that the injury isn’t as bad as initially feared.
“Best case scenario for TJ,” J.J. wrote on X. “Grade 2 MCL sprain. Everything else looks pristine. Couple weeks of rest/recovery.”
This follows a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, where he indicated that it was believed to be a torn MCL or a Grade 3 sprain.
Rapoport has since confirmed the updated news of a Grade 2 sprain, quote-tweeting Watt’s initial post.
The elder Watt’s initial reaction was devastation, as he posted on X.
It’s unclear if Watt will be able to play in the wild-card round if the Steelers play next weekend.
With the win over the Ravens, the Steelers (10-7) kept their playoff hopes intact but still need some help.
The Steelers need either the Buffalo Bills to lose to the Miami Dolphins or the Jacksonville Jaguars to lose to the Tennessee Titans to make it to the playoffs as the No. 7 seed, and they could even be as high as the No. 6 seed if both teams lose.
If both the Bills and Jaguars win, the Steelers will be eliminated from playoff contention.
Watt, who turned 29 in October, was initially drafted in the first round by Pittsburgh in 2017.
He was just named to his sixth Pro Bowl this week and won Defensive Player of the Year two seasons ago after tying Michael Strahan’s single-season sack record of 22.5.
Watt led the Steelers this regular season with 19 sacks and already has 96.5 in his career through just seven seasons.
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