The Pittsburgh Steelers will be playing for their postseason lives when they take on the division-rival Baltimore Ravens in Week 18. If the Steelers best Baltimore, their season will continue. If they lose, they’ll enter the offseason earlier than anyone in Pittsburgh would have hoped.
The good news for the Steelers is that they’ll be getting a major defensive weapon back for the matchup. After missing Pittsburgh’s last three games due to a partially collapsed lung, star defensive end T.J. Watt will be back out on the field on Sunday night.
T.J. Watt will return to game action against Ravens in Week 18
Watt was a full participant in practice on Friday for Pittsburgh and he doesn't have any injury designation for the final game of the regular season.
Heading into the critical contest with the rival Ravens, Watt is feeling healthy and confident after a productive week on the practice field, which is exactly what Steeler nation wants to hear.
"I feel pretty good. Honestly, don't know if I could have said that a week ago, but I feel really good,” Watt said, via ESPN. “Feel really confident about the week of practice and excited to play.
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"Like I said, I had a great week of practice. I had no limitations. Tried to simulate as much as I could with shoulder pads and stuff like that, but you can only simulate so much. So I feel really good right now. Hoping that's the case on Sunday as well."
If this were a game in October, there’s a chance that Watt would wait another week before making a return. But, the stakes of this matchup aren’t lost on the former Defensive Player of the Year.
"I mean, this is a huge game,” Watt said. “Obviously, we just started the playoffs a week early, and we get to have a home game. Really excited to get back out here in front of Steeler Nation and leave it all on the field."
Upon his return, Watt will be tasked with trying to corral Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson, who will also be playing in the game after missing Baltimore’s Week 17 win over the Green Bay Packers due to a back contusion.
With a game of this magnitude, you want all the top talents out there, so it’s good news that both Jackson and Watt will be available for their respective teams.