J.J. Watt to McAfee: T.J. will do everything he can to be out there (1:20)
J.J. Watt joins Pat McAfee and provides an update on the health of his brother, Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt. (1:20)
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Brooke Pryor, ESPN Staff WriterDec 19, 2024, 02:07 PM ET
- Previously covered the Kansas City Chiefs for the Kansas City Star and Oklahoma University for the Oklahoman.
PITTSBURGH — Steelers premier pass rusher T.J. Watt, who injured his ankle late against the Philadelphia Eagles last Sunday, was noncommittal about his status for Saturday’s game at the Baltimore Ravens, but he said he felt “pretty good” this week.
“We’ll see Sunday — or Saturday I guess I should say — but I felt pretty good this week,” Watt said Thursday. “Obviously it’s a short week but felt pretty good.”
Watt exited the Week 15 loss to the Eagles with five minutes to play after rolling his ankle. He didn’t participate in Tuesday’s walk-through, but he was upgraded to a limited participant Wednesday and appeared to do even more work on Thursday.
“There’s not a lot of things you do on practice in a short week like this to push it, so I want to see how it feels on Saturday,” Watt said. “But I feel pretty good right now.”
Watt is one of several starters whose status is in question for Saturday. Safety DeShon Elliott (hamstring) missed the Eagles game and didn’t practice Tuesday or Wednesday, while cornerback Donte Jackson left the Week 15 loss with a back injury and also didn’t practice Tuesday or Wednesday.
Wide receiver George Pickens (hamstring) missed his second straight game against the Eagles and didn’t practice on Tuesday or Wednesday. Pickens did work off to the side on Thursday, including several sprints across the width of the field. Quarterback Justin Fields (abdomen) also hasn’t practiced this week.
Though not ideal, Watt said he was open to playing on a snap count, if necessary.
“I’m trying to be out there as much as I possibly can, so obviously I wouldn’t want to do that, but if that’s the only thing that I can do that I’m going to take what I can get,” he said.
Watt recorded 1 sack, 2 tackles for loss and 2 quarterback hits in the Week 11 meeting with the Ravens. So far this season, the Defensive Player of the Year candidate has forced a league-leading six fumbles along with 11.5 sacks.
For Watt, determining his status Saturday is about balancing pain management and risk of further injury.
“At this point of the year everybody’s dealing with stuff,” Watt said. “So, if I can go, I’ll go, and we’ll go from there.”
