Pittsburgh Steelers star edge rusher TJ Watt has missed seven games in the 2022 season. The team suffered immensely in his absence, going 1-6. Since his return out of the bye week, the black and gold have went 3-1, providing a glimpse of hope at sneaking into the postseason. In Week 12 against the Indianapolis Colts on Monday Night Football, Watt suffered an injury to his ribs.
Credit: Jordan Schofield/SteelerNation (JSKO_PHOTO Twitter)
Since then, he's appeared on the practice injury report throughout the week. This week, the trend was concerning, as Watt missed practice on Thursday. That left significant doubt on his status against the Baltimore Ravens this upcoming weekend. On Friday, he practiced in some capacity, saying he was able to do quite a bit, according to Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. That's a good sign for his prospects of playing against the AFC North rival on Sunday.
TJ Watt said he was able to do a good amount today at practice. Sure sounds like he’ll be out there Sunday vs. Ravens after being limited earlier this week.
— Brian Batko (@BrianBatko) December 9, 2022
Steelers starting wide receiver Diontae Johnson popped up on the injury report this week with a hip injury. Like Watt, he missed practice on Thursday, leaving his game status in doubt as well. On Friday, he told reporters that he suffered the injury in the Week 13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. In fact, he didn't feel the injury until the day after the game, thus why he didn't pop up on the injury report until early in the week.
While he told Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that he'll see how he feels on Sunday, he also said that he indeed expects be out there and playing. While Johnson has had his struggles this season as the team's No. 1 wideout, his loss would be immense. The offense, led by rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett, has made significant strides lately. An absence from Johnson would set back that progress immensely.
Diontae Johnson on his injury and his status for Sunday vs the Ravens pic.twitter.com/8kqaLgX6Kt
— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) December 9, 2022
Credit: Jordan Schofield/SteelerNation (JSKO_PHOTO Twitter)
Beyond rookie George Pickens, the likes of Gunner Olszewski, Steven Sims, and Miles Boykin would have to step in at wideout if Johnson were unable to go. That's certainly not ideal, especially for a quarterback set to make his ninth career start. While it's not a lock that both Johnson and Watt play on Sunday, this is encouraging news after the pessimistic outlook on Thursday.
Which of these guys are more important to the Steelers picking up a W this weekend? If Johnson is unable to go, who do you expect to step up from the WR room? Do you think the Steelers have a realistic shot at the postseason? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!
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