The Pittsburgh Steelers received devastating news on one of their star defenders ahead of their Wild Card round matchup with the Buffalo Bills. The Steelers had a costly win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 18 as Pittsburgh’s win over their rival kept them in the playoff hunt until the Jacksonville Jaguars collapse propelled them in.

But they lost arguably their best player for much of the playoffs.

The Steelers will miss Watt next weekend
Star pass rusher T.J. Watt suffered an injury during the Steelers win Saturday night. According to Ian Rapoport with the NFL Network, Watt sustained a grade two MCL sprain. If all goes well, the Steelers will see Watt by the AFC Championship round.

With the #Steelers officially in the playoffs, and star TJ Watt dealing with a Grade 2 MCL sprain, sources say the absolute best-case scenario for this injury is to play in two weeks with a brace.

So to get Watt back on the field, Pittsburgh likely needs to win a few.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 8, 2024

Watt’s presence has been major reason for the Steelers’ late-season resurgence. Watt led the NFL in sacks this season with 19 sacks.

BOOM! #steelers @_TJWatt pic.twitter.com/K2RtY5CDCS

— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) January 8, 2024

The Steelers could have used Watt next weekend to get after star quarterback Josh Allen. It will be challenging for the Steelers to advance far enough for Watt to return without another pass rusher like him.