Injury update provided on Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker TJ Watt

A scary incident occurred on Sunday for Pittsburgh Steelers fans when star pass rusher TJ Watt went down with an injury against the Detroit Lions. He was seen grabbing his knee and headed to the blue medical tent.

Good news prevailed on Monday from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, saying all tests came back negative for Watt. There is a chance he does not even miss any time.

“MRIs on TJ Watt’s knee and hip came back negative today but he still is sore, per sources,” Schefter reported on Monday. “It is uncertain how much, if any, time Watt will miss. But all things considered, it’s a positive result today for Watt and the Steelers.

Before leaving the game, Watt was able to record five total tackles and two tackles for a loss. He got to Detroit quarterback Jared Goff once, while also recording two quarterback pressures. Even if it was an 0-8 Lions team, Watt’s impact was needed for the entire game.

Watt has played like one of the best players in the NFL all season, recording 12.5 sacks and forcing three fumbles. After Pittsburgh traded away Melvin Ingram to the Kansas City Chiefs, their pass rush depth got a bit thinner. Even so, Watt’s performances have been unreal nine games into the year.

Pittsburgh struggles without Watt in tie with Detroit

Missing Watt at moments during the tie against Detroit was not the only issue Pittsburgh had. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger did not play after being put on the reserve/COVID on Saturday. Backup Mason Rudolph got the start and performed well. Despite the snowy record, he went 30 of 50 with 242 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.

Both the Steelers and Lions had opportunities to win the game in overtime, each having three possession. Pittsburgh turned the ball over twice, with a Rudolph interception and a fumble by rookie tight end Pat Freiermuth right before time expired.

Had Freiermuth kept possession and gotten out of bounds, kicker Chris Boswell may have at least had an opportunity to hit a long field goal to win the game. Instead, the Steelers now have a 5-3-1 record and sit in second place of the AFC North.

Some Steelers players did not even know an NFL game could end in a tie. Rookie running back Najee Harris was surprised by the result and assumed the game would continue once the clock hit 0:00. He said he was prepared to play more but somebody had to tell him the game was over.