TJ Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers warms up prior to a game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois on November 23, 2025. AFP
January 4, 2026
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Pittsburgh Steelers star pass rusher TJ Watt says he’s excited to return for a must-win National Football league (NFL) clash with Baltimore after he was sidelined by a partially collapsed lung in December.
“I feel pretty good, honestly,” Watt told reporters on Friday. “Not sure I could have said that a week ago, but I feel really good, really confident. I’m excited to play.”
Watt outlined the sequence of events that led to surgery to address his partially collapsed lung on December 11, explaining that after a dry needling treatment by team medical staff on December 10 he “didn’t feel right.
“I was in a significant amount of pain and ended up going to the hospital, and as you guys saw [had] surgery.
“Recovery was different because it was something I wasn’t used to.”
Watt said he thought the injury from the treatment, in which tiny needles are inserted in the body to address pain and mobility issues, was “a fluke thing”, although he said he’d take a break from the treatments for awhile.
Watt, who has seven sacks, an interception, and two fumble recoveries this season, missed three games. He returns in time for Sunday’s crucial clash with the Ravens. The winner of the game will clinch the AFC North Division title and the loser will miss the play-offs.
