T.J. Watt says he drove himself 'nuts' recalling pectoral injury

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt has driven himself nuts thinking about the play that drastically altered his, and his team’s 2022 season.

Coming off a 2021 season in which he tied the NFL single-season sack record (22.5), Watt tore his pectoral muscle in Week 1 of the 2022 regular season against the Cincinnati Bengals. He missed seven games, and never looked quite like the dominant pass-rusher he was in the years prior.

Watt often thinks about the play that took him out, and wonders if he could have prevented it, he recently told former teammate and Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger on his “Footbahlin” podcast.

“Obviously, the pec this past year was tough,” Watt said, via Kevin Patra of NFL.com. “Just having a great offseason, feeling really good going into the season. I felt like I was playing really well in Cincinnati. But that’s just like one of those things. Even on the play I got hurt, the clock was running, they were out of timeouts. Fourth quarter. It was like 20 seconds left. I got a hand in the face penalty.

“But I had [Bengals quarterback] Joe Burrow locked up, and like my arm got stuck behind me. And that’s how I tore my pec. The amount of times I’ve replayed that play in my mind — like if I just kept my hands low, there’s no hands to the face, A. Then, B, if I just stay on my feet and wrap him up and take him down, like, game’s over, pec is fine. The amount of times that I’ve drove myself nuts thinking like that.”

T.J. Watt struggled to stay healthy in 2022

Watt suited up in 10 games, compiling a career-low 5.5 sacks. The Steelers, who finished 9-8, went 8-2 with Watt in the lineup. Watt, however, admitted he never really got to 100% upon his return.

“As soon as I came back, it never really got to 100 percent,” Watt said. “But then it was just like every little thing — I had a rib [injury]. I had a thumb. It was just one of those years for me where I just could never get 100 percent fully healthy, so it was a little frustrating.”

Heading into this season, Watt believes the Steelers have a great shot to get back to the postseason, aided by some veteran acquisitions such as cornerback Patrick Peterson and receiver Allen Robinson.

“I think it’s still too early to have true sense of ‘This is the year,’ because they always say you don’t want to be the guy who’s just crushing it without pads on,” Watt said. “You don’t really know the personality of everybody yet. So it’s too early for that, but I’m very encouraged with the direction that we’re going, especially on the defensive side of the ball. That’s what I can really speak for.

“Guys are flying around. We’re having a lot of fun. We’re communicating and making a lot of those splash plays, and that’s all you can really ask for this time of year.”