After taking down the Detroit Lions in Week 16, the Pittsburgh Steelers are on the verge of wrapping up the AFC North division. Making their most recent victory even more impressive is the fact that they managed to win despite not having T.J. Watt at their disposal. On Tuesday, head coach Mike Tomlin addressed Watt’s status ahead of the team’s Week 17 action.
Watt suffered a scary lung injury ahead of the Steelers’ Week 15 action, and while the team was initially hopeful he would be able to play in Week 16, that did not end up happening. Reports have indicated that Pittsburgh does not realistically know when Watt will be able to return to action, and Tomlin seemed to confirm that when discussing the superstar defender’s status.
“No new update on T.J.,” Tomlin announced on Tuesday. “I’m sure he’s been in the building, but I’ll gain further information about his potential participation at the early portions of the week and where that might lead.”
Losing Watt would seemingly be a big blow for the Steelers, but they responded by rattling off a pair of important wins to help solidify their playoff positioning. With two games left, Pittsburgh needs to win just once in order to wrap up the AFC North title. Whether or not they will have Watt on the field for a potential division-clinching contest in Week 17, though, remains to be seen.
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