Is T.J. Watt playing today? Latest update on Steelers LB for AFC Wild Card game vs Bills

On the final day of the regular season, the Pittsburgh Steelers secured the seventh seed in the AFC and advanced to the NFL playoffs in 2024. But in that victory over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 18, they lost one of their best defensive players to injury.

Pittsburgh's star linebacker, T.J. Watt, sustained a knee injury against the Ravens that is expected to have an impact on his availability for today's wild-card game against the Buffalo Bills.

With Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns and Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys among the other players thought to be in the running for Defensive Player of the Year, Watt has once again shown why he is one of the top defensive players in the NFL.

With a league-high 19.0 sacks at the end of the regular season, T.J. Watt made NFL history by being the first player to top the league in sacks on three separate occasions.

It is confirmed that the Steelers' first-round selection from the 2017 NFL draft will not play in today's wild-card playoff matchup against the Bills. The Steelers, who have only won one of the previous 11 games in which their outstanding pass rusher was unavailable since 2017, will be very concerned about his absence.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin told reporters last week:

"Obviously, playing without T.J. is huge, but to be honest with you, we've survived without quite a number of people this year."

Watt has racked up 19.0 sacks, 68 combined tackles, 48 solo tackles, 19 tackles for a loss, 36 quarterback hits, four forced fumbles, three recovered fumbles, one interception and eight passes defensed in 17 games this season.

Exploring T.J. Watt's injury status: What happened to Steelers star?

In the second half of the Pittsburgh Steelers' game against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 18, linebacker T.J. Watt and teammate defensive end Montravius Adams clashed. After that, the 29-year-old pass rusher appeared in discomfort as he struck the ground before being assisted to the sidelines.

At that point, Watt was unable to rejoin the matchup. Nevertheless, he had already contributed significantly with seven tackles, two sacks and two quarterback hits prior to the injury.

The day following the game, J.J. Watt, the brother of T.J. Watt, disclosed that his brother's injury—a Grade 2 MCL sprain, he said—is not as serious as initially thought. Every other thing on the MRI scans, J.J. said, appears to be irrelevant. Moreover, he mentioned that T.J. will return to action in a "couple of weeks."

Mike Tomlin has since verified that the former Wisconsin Badger would not be ready for the start of the postseason.