Forcing the American public to watch the Pittsburgh Steelers attempt to move the football must break some kind of law. Gifted five turnovers by a sloppy Joe Burrow, Pittsburgh managed just 23 points in five quarters. Mitch Trubisky stinks, the Steelers know it, and it almost came back to bite Mike Tomlin’s squad.
Bailed out by the heroics of Minkah Fitzpatrick and Chris Boswell, no one feels good about the Week 1 performance. Even worse, Pittsburgh’s best player, edge rusher T.J. Watt, mouthed that his pec was torn. Losing Watt would cripple the Steelers’ pass rush and put the offense even further behind the eight ball, as opposing passers will facilitate in comfort.
However, a season-ending torn pec may not be in the cards. After receiving a second (and third) opinion, it seems Watt may avoid surgery after all.
A season, saved
Recent reports indicate that Watt did not tear the tendon; just the muscle. As a result, he is only expected to miss about six weeks.
His absence is critical, though the Steelers will consider themselves lucky. Of course, missing six games is a lot different than 16. To add, Pittsburgh plays New England, Cleveland, and the Jets in the next three weeks. None of those are locks, but to write off a Tomlin-led team against poor offenses is unwise. It’ll be the next cluster that could derail their season: Buffalo, Tampa Bay, and Miami.
Without Watt creating turnovers and wreaking havoc, it gets harder to trust the Steelers moneyline. Still, we shouldn’t be quick to take the under (7.5) on their win total. Pittsburgh is notoriously competitive and even if their playoff hopes are thwarted, their mediocrity can be hard to gauge.
As for Watt, his Defensive Player of the Year aspirations are all but dead in the water. His +3000 odds on DraftKings feels like bait. Please don’t spend your hard-earned cash hoping an 11-game campaign is enough to be the most productive defensive player in football. Micah Parsons’ +700 odds from DraftKings is my favorite DPOY wager at the moment.
Until Watt’s back, do yourself some favors. Play conservative with your Pittsburgh lines, consider other futures, and find another football team to watch.