Steelers' T.J. Watt said he's "excited to play" against Ravens
Pittsburgh Steelers star outside linebacker T.J. Watt said he's "excited to play" against the Ravens after recovering from a partially collapsed lung.
"I feel pretty good, honestly," Watt told the media on Friday. "Don't know if I could have said that a week ago, but I feel really good, feel really confident about the week of practice and excited to play."
Sunday's Steelers-Ravens game at Acrisure Stadium is a high-stakes winner-take-all showdown. After the Steelers failed to clinch the AFC North with a 13-6 loss to the Cleveland Browns last weekend, they're competing with the Ravens for the division title and the postseason berth that comes with it.
"This is a huge game," Watt said. "Obviously we just started the playoffs a week earlier and we get to have a home game. So I'm really excited to get back out here in front of Steeler Nation and leave it all on the field."
Watt hasn't played since the Dec. 7 win against the Ravens after he suffered a partially collapsed lung during a dry needling treatment, which uses needles to help relieve pain. Watt returned to practice on Christmas Eve, two weeks after the injury and subsequent surgery to stabilize and repair his lung.
Watt said he had used dry needling treatments several times before, but after this one, he was in a "significant amount of pain," so he went to the hospital.
"The recovery was just different because it was something I wasn't used to, but I'm thankful for everybody here," Watt said, describing the healing process as "unique."
While the Steelers are getting Watt back, it also appears that the Ravens will get a boost from star quarterback Lamar Jackson, who said he's "a hundred percent" expecting to play Sunday.