On Friday, superstar edge rusher T.J. Watt entered the NFL’s concussion protocol, a day after playing 52 of the team’s 57 defensive snaps in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 21-18 loss. Watt appeared to suffer the head injury on his first play of the game when the knee of New England Patriots running back Ezekiel Elliott struck the helmet of the former Defensive Player of the Year.
Afterward, Watt could be seen using smelling salts trying to erase the cobwebs. He also added a dark tinted visor to his facemask, a possible hint that he was suffering from light sensitivity, a common sign of a concussion.
The Steelers were coming off an embarrassing loss to the Arizona Cardinals a week ago and were now in a primetime matchup against another one of the NFL’s worst teams. At 7-5, the postseason outlook was positive for Pittsburgh, but they needed to come away with a win against New England. With Watt, a three-time All-Pro game-wrecker, that task should have been achievable. Without him, the Steelers’ pass rush takes a big hit.
Yet, the NFL has adopted a policy where they no longer play games when it comes to head injuries. It appears that for whatever reason, possibly in the spirit of competition, hoping to secure a win, that mindset disappeared on Thursday.
Watt definitely suffered a hit to his head on Thursday. He definitely entered the league’s concussion protocol the day after, so how was he allowed to return to action so quickly? Instead of carefully evaluating Watt’s health, the team’s best player didn’t miss much time. As mentioned, he played 91 percent of the snaps on Thursday.
Now, in addition to Watt’s health being in question, the Steelers may face scrutiny from the league office too. League insiders are already asking the NFL how Watt was allowed to return, meaning there are a lot of eyeballs curious about the health and safety protocols from Thursday night’s game.
