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NFL wild-card weekend injury report: Steelers star T.J. Watt out vs. Bills with knee injury
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- NFL wild-card weekend injury report: Steelers star T.J. Watt out vs. Bills with knee injury
Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro linebacker T.J. Watt will not play in Sunday's wild card playoff game against the Buffalo Bills due to a knee injury, head coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday.
Watt was injured in the third quarter of Sunday's 17-10 victory over the Baltimore Ravens and did not play the rest of the game. The victory along with a loss by the Jacksonville Jaguars clinched the No. 7 seed for Pittsburgh.
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His brother, former player and current CBS analyst J.J. Watt , said that the 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year was diagnosed with a Grade 2 MCL sprain and would need a few weeks to recovery from the injury.
Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt (90) reacts after sacking Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley (2) during the third quarter at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on Jan. 6, 2024.
The 29-year-old Watt had another excellent season for Pittsburgh, leading the NFL with 19 sacks and also forcing four fumbles, and recording 68 total tackles.
Here are more injuries to keep in mind heading into wild-card weekend.
Browns : Dustin Hopkins likely out against Texans
Kicker Dustin Hopkins (hamstring) is unlikely to be healthy enough to play in the Cleveland Browns' wild-card game against the Houston Texans.
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Hopkins missed the Browns' last two regular-season games, and Cleveland turned to Riley Patterson to handle kicking duties.
Hopkins made 33 of 36 field-goal attempts during the regular season, including 8 of 8 from 50-plus yards.
Chiefs: Isiah Pacheco ready to go
Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco has put together back-to-back full participation practices ahead of the team's wild-card game against the Miami Dolphins .
Pacheco had been nursing a sore shoulder, but he appears ready to play without restriction. Pacheco has rushed for 935 yards and seven touchdowns in 14 games this season.
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Texans: Will Anderson Jr. not practicing, but probable
The status of Houston Texans rookie defensive end Will Anderson Jr. is up in the air for the team's wild-card game against the Cleveland Browns.
Anderson played in Weeks 17 and 18, ramping up his usage, after missing Weeks 15 and 16 with an ankle injury. Anderson has been one of the Texans' best players this season, registering seven sacks and 10 tackles for loss.
Dolphins: Raheem Mostert , Jaylen Waddle in line to play against Chiefs
The Miami Dolphins might be down some key players on defense, but two of their top offensive players are likely to be back for the team's wild-card game at the Kansas City Chiefs.
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Coach Mike McDaniel said he is "optimistic" wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (ankle) and running back Raheem Mostert (knee/ankle) will play Saturday. Both have missed the Dolphins' past two games.
Browns: Grant Delpit off injured reserve
Cleveland Browns safety Grant Delpit was designated to return from injured reserve.
Delpit suffered a groin injury during the Browns' Week 14 victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars and missed the rest of the regular season. At the time of his injury, Delpit was leading the team in tackles (77) and had 1.5 sacks, one interception and one fumble recovery.
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Dolphins' Van Ginkel, Baker, Goode unlikely to return for playoffs
The Miami Dolphins, coming off a game with major players on offense out, are now preparing for a playoff game against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs without a huge chunk of their defense.
The Dolphins will be without linebackers Andrew Van Ginkel , Jerome Baker and Cam Goode on Saturday night in Kansas City, with a strong likelihood the season is over for all three. In addition, the Dolphins are proceeding as if cornerback Xavien Howard , who missed Sunday's loss to Buffalo , also won't play against the Chiefs.
It's also uncertain how effective safety Jevon Holland will be. Holland, coming off injuries to both knees, played only 27 snaps, 35 percent of the defensive plays, vs. Buffalo. Even defensive tackle Christian Wilkins , who had a strip/sack/fumble against Josh Allen , wore a wrap on his right wrist Monday but said it wasn't anything serious.
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Van Ginkel injured his foot against the Bills and is out for the remainder of the postseason, coach Mike McDaniel said Monday. Baker suffered a wrist injury that required surgery. It "appears" he's done for the year, McDaniel said. And Goode was carted off in the fourth quarter with a knee injury that turned out to be a torn patella, ending his season. — Hal Habib, Palm Beach Post
Eagles' Jalen Hurts , A.J. Brown 'hopeful' against Buccaneers
The good news for the Philadelphia Eagles is quarterback Jalen Hurts did not fracture the middle finger on his throwing hand in the second quarter Sunday, according to an NFL Network report.
That doesn't mean Hurts' finger is fine as the Eagles prepare for their wild-card playoff game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Tampa on Monday night. Eagles coach Nick Sirianni, without providing details, said he can only imagine what Hurts will go through this week in order to play Monday night.
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"I know he's going to be sore," Sirianni said. "There's no doubt about that. And I know that finger is going to get stiff, and he's going to have to go through hard work to make sure that he is ready to go. I have no doubt that he's going to do everything he can do to do that, and that he'll be able to play through his bumps and bruises because I've seen him do it over and over and over again."
Sirianni said he's "hopeful" that star wide receiver A.J. Brown (knee) and safety Reed Blankenship (groin) can return against the Buccaneers, in addition to injured players who sat out in wide receiver DeVonta Smith (ankle), cornerback Darius Slay (knee) and running back D'Andre Swift (illness).
Brown was seen in the locker room after the game without a knee brace, and he appeared to be walking without a limp. Brown had 1,456 yards receiving this season, second in franchise history to the 1,496 yards he had last season. Smith, meanwhile, had 1,066 yards receiving. — Delaware Online
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL wild-card weekend injury report: Steelers' T.J. Watt out vs. Bills
