Had T.J. Watt’s knee injury taken place in the regular season and not the preseason finale, the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year wouldn’t have missed many snaps, if any.
But because it was the final tuneup for the Sept. 11 season opener, Watt didn’t mind exiting for good in the second quarter of the Steelers’ 19-9 victory against the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
“It was one of those things where the knee got a little uncomfortable and truly didn’t feel 100%, so I didn’t want to chance,” Watt said Wednesday afternoon.
Watt took part in the final practice before Steelers players were given a four-day break. They will resume practicing Monday.
The low cut block delivered by Lions tight end T.J. Hockenson that took down Watt angered some in the Steelers organization, in particular defensive captain Cameron Heyward. Hockenson apologized immediately to Watt.
“I didn’t really have any words to say back to him,” Watt said. “It was more frustration than anything. Those blocks are always tough to deal with. It’s a legal block, so I can’t be too upset. It’s also one of those things where I honestly don’t know if I can do anything differently.”
Watt was trying to shoot the gap on a running play when Hockenson made contact with his knee.
“I get ready to make contact and when I go to duck my head, he obviously goes low,” Watt said. “It’s being taught because it’s a legal move. I don’t have a grudge against it. I just have to figure out how to handle it better.”
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