ESPN NEWS: Pittsburgh Steelers’ star player ruled out for Wild Card weekend vs. Buffalo Bills

When the Pittsburgh Steelers play the Buffalo Bills, they won’t have their best player available.

T.J. Watt will not participate in the Super Wild Card game against the Bills on Sunday, Mike Tomlin informed the media on Tuesday. In the team’s regular-season finale versus the Baltimore Ravens, Watt sustained a knee injury.
Here’s what Mike Tomlin had to say about the Steelers missing Watt against the Bills via ESPN.

“Obviously, it’s important to play without T.J., but to be really honest, we’ve played without a lot of guys this year,” Tomlin said to the press. It’s just another chance for us to deliver a blow to the concept of a team and show what it truly means—a group of people who collaborate to achieve a goal. In terms of replacing T.J., it won’t be a one-man task… It’s going to be by committee, just like I stood in front of you and said similar things when Cameron Heyward missed a stretch of games.

T.J. is unique, so we should improve our productivity in other areas, but that’s just it. It involves a component of attrition. It’s the best team game because of this.

In 17 games with the Steelers this season, Watt tallied 19 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, and 36 quarterback hits. On Sunday afternoon at Highmark Stadium, Pittsburgh’s by-committee strategy might have some success, but it is difficult to see them having the kind of impact that Watt would have on the game.