In anticipation of Sunday's showdown against the Philadelphia Eagles, fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers should not count on seeing the return of a key defensive player. According to Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, head coach Mike Tomlin shared it is “highly unlikely” that injured linebacker TJ Watt will suit up for Week 8.

Though the 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year did manage to work out for 40 minutes during pregame warmups ahead of Week 7's loss to the Miami Dolphins, it is still too soon for Watt to see game action again. Watt sustained a torn pectoral muscle in Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals and has been on injured reserve since. Additionally, the former All-Pro underwent a knee procedure in early October stemming from a preseason ailment.

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As a result, the earliest fans could see TJ Watt on the field would be in Week 10 against the New Orleans Saints following the Steelers' Week 9 bye, though the final word on that is far off in the distance.

In his absence, the Steelers have sorely missed Watt's production. Per Fittipaldo, the Steelers defense has tallied a meager eight sacks since Week 1, including a whopping zero against the Dolphins on Sunday. Watt accounted for 22.5 sacks by himself in 2021 and one in the season opener this year, a game in which he and the defense posted seven sacks. Though a 2-5 record is nothing to write home about, it will be intriguing to see if the team can turn things around once TJ Watt returns to preserve Tomlin's streak of 15 consecutive seasons without a losing record.