The Jets’ trip to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers is still a few weeks away, but they already know they will not have to face one of the best, if not the best, defenders in the NFL when they head to Pittsburgh on October 2.
The Steelers officially placed reigning Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt on injured reserve with the pectoral injury he suffered in Week 1 against the Jets’ Week 3 opponent, the Cincinnati Bengals.
The initial worry was that Watt would be done for the season, but he was able to avoid surgery and is only expected to miss about six weeks. So it was pretty much already a given that the Jets would not have to worry about Watt in Week 4, but the placement on injured reserve made that official Thursday. The earliest Watt can return is Week 6 against the Buccaneers.
So that’s at least one sigh of relief for the Jets. But, of course, before they even deal with the Steelers and even the Bengals, they’ve got a date with another candidate for Defensive Player of the Year on Sunday, Browns edge-rusher Myles Garrett. Good luck.
