The Pittsburgh Steelers will be without their top player for Sunday’s AFC Wild Card Round game against the Buffalo Bills.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin confirmed on Tuesday that linebacker T.J. Watt will be out for Sunday’s playoff showdown, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Watt suffered an MCL sprain in the Steelers’ must-win Week 18 contest against the Baltimore Ravens.
The Steelers defeated the Ravens, who were mostly playing their backups with the top seed locked up, 17-10 to keep their season alive. The Jacksonville Jaguars’ stunning road loss to the Tennessee Titans gave Pittsburgh all the help they needed to lock down a third playoff berth in four years.
But now the Steelers must find a way to get by without their superstar pass-rusher against a surging Buffalo squad that closed the regular season on a five-game winning streak to clinch the AFC East division crown.
Watt finished as the NFL’s sacks leader for the third time in four years, racking up 19 over Pittsburgh’s 17 games. He also had eight pass defenses (tying his career-high) and four forced fumbles.
The Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since 2016, when they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in the Wild Card Round. They went one-and-done in the 2017, 2020 and 2021 postseasons and now must find a way to sneak past the Bills without Watt.
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Kickoff between the Bills and Steelers goes at 1 p.m. EST on Sunday.
