PITTSBURGH — T.J. Watt is ready to take a break from dry needling and get back to work on the football field.
The Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker is hopeful to play Sunday night when the Baltimore Ravens visit with the AFC North title on the line. The perennial Pro Bowler has missed each of the last three games following a mishap during a dry-needling treatment that led to surgery to repair a partially collapsed lung.
Watt, 31, called the accident, which was administered by a member of the club’s athletic/medical staff, a “fluke.” He, like many NFL players, has used the treatment — in which needles are inserted under the skin to target trigger points such as knotted or tender areas in muscles — for some time.
While Watt didn’t rule out turning to it down the road, he added with a grin that it won’t be a part of his recovery regimen in the short term.
Watt experienced discomfort after having treatment at the facility Dec. 10. He went to the hospital, where the 2021 AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year was told he needed surgery to fix his lung.
“Obviously very scary,” Watt said. “Just a significant amount of pain at the same time you’re going to work, and then all of a sudden you need surgery. It sucks. Just a lot of unknown.”
Watt sat out three critical games while recovering. The Steelers went 2-1 during that stretch — doubling the win total the club had without Watt in the lineup during the first eight seasons of his career — and can win the division for the first time since 2020 by beating the Ravens on Sunday night.
Watt called the rehab process “unique” but felt really good after practice Friday at Acrisure Stadium.
“I have no limitations,” Watt said. “I tried to simulate as much as I could with shoulder pads and stuff like that. But you can only simulate so much. So I feel really good right now. Hopefully that’s the case on Sunday as well.”
Watt declined to get into specifics about how he was affected physically, instead focusing on what he can do to help the Steelers get into the playoffs. They have reached the postseason five times during Watt’s career but have yet to advance.
“Everyone knows the magnitude of this game,” Watt said. “It’s just a matter of going out and getting it done. That’s kind of the key. Everybody knows how important these games are. Everybody knows this is what you train all offseason, your whole career for games like this.”
Watt, who receives a significant amount of attention from opposing linemen, tight end and running backs, has just seven sacks this season, his lowest total in a year in which he’s played at least 13 games since his rookie year in 2017.
Longtime teammate Cam Heyward said the Steelers need Watt to do “T.J. Watt” things against the Ravens. Watt has 17 of his 115 sacks against the team’s longtime rival.
While Watt is well aware of the one major hole on his resume, he’s also simply happy that he may have a chance to make an impact instead of watching from afar or on the sideline as he was forced to do while recovering.
“I’m glad to have the doctors that we had, the surgeon that I had,” Watt said. “(And) to be able to be here playing football games this weekend.”