The Pittsburgh Steelers could get their best player back for Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Outsiders TJ Watt has returned to training this week and has not ruled out playing on Sunday.
The fact that it is still open for discussion at this time of week should be a positive sign. It was previously believed he wouldn’t return until after the team’s goodbye week (i.e. next week).
Watt, the defending NFL Defensive Player of the Year, has been sidelined since Week 1 of the 2022 season with a chest injury and he later had to have a procedure to clean his knee. The Steelers defense struggled in his absence and failed to put consistent pressure on the back four.
It’s not too much of a stretch to think that with a healthy Watt, the 2-5 Steelers could have an extra win or two this season given how close their losses are.
Watt has been one of the NFL’s best players since entering the league in 2017, and he’s clearly the engine that keeps the team running. Since debut, the Steelers have only led 1-9 in games that Watt has missed, while defensive performance has dropped dramatically. The only win came two weeks ago against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
By comparison, the Steelers were 52-24-2 when Watt played, allowing seven points less per game and scoring 1.5 more bags per game.
He’s completely changed the look of the defence, and even if he is restricted on Sunday it will at least give them a little more chance against the Eagles 6-0.
