On a day quarterback Deshaun Watson threw for five touchdowns, the Houston Texans were dealt with misfortune as they learned that star defensive lineman J.J. Watt is done for the season with a leg injury.
According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Watt was diagnosed with a tibial plateau fracture shortly after he was taken to the hospital.
#Texans JJ Watt, who the team just announced has a tibial plateau fracture, is out for the season, source said. Another year ended on IR.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 9, 2017
The 28-year-old Watt suffered the injury in the first quarter of a Texans’ 42-34 loss to the still-unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs at home on Sunday. It goes without saying that this is a big loss for Houston, as Watt was the defining piece of the team’s stop unit that is ranked 13th in the league in scoring defense.
It's even more disappointing when you consider that Watt was raring to play this season after missing all but three games in the 2016-17 campaign due to a back injury. He worked hard over the offseason, preparing to help the Texans reach the playoffs for the third consecutive year. Additionally, he raised millions of dollars for Hurricane Harvey relief and has done a tremendous job helping the city heal.
Watt exits the season with zero sacks, the first time in his eight seasons in the NFL.
Watt’s absence won’t completely paralyze the Texans’ defense, but the void that he’s left is going to be tough to cover by anyone on the team.
There was some positive news that came out on Monday, though. Watt avoided ligament damage and his surgery was successful.
#Texans DL JJ Watt underwent successful surgery today to repair his tibial plateau fracture, source said. No ligament damage. Long recovery.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 9, 2017
Watt has won three Defensive Player of the Year awards, but his latest injury begs the question of whether he’ll get back to being that kind of a defensive menace again.
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