Saturday afternoon, the Houston Texans defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and locked up the AFC South title. Hosting a home game was guaranteed, which switched the conversation to defensive end JJ Watt. The five-time Pro Bowler is eligible to return from Injured Reserve and a torn pectoral muscle, but the fans can’t decide if this is the best decision.
“Just more evidence that JJ Watt is indeed not a human,” one fan on Twitter wrote in response to Saturday’s report. When he tore his pec, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year was expected to be shelved until next August or September. Now fans were beginning to dream about a return in time for the Wild Card game against a yet-to-be-determined foe.
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NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport revealed on Saturday morning that Watt will be eligible to return to practice this week. That would put him in line to suit up for the playoffs, barring a setback in the coming week of work. The Texans have been saving the final “designated to return spot” for Watt, hoping that he would provide a boost to the inconsistent defense.
From @NFLGameDay Kickoff: The #Texans are expecting JJ Watt back for the playoffs. As for when he will practice… 👇🏼 pic.twitter.com/MXyc3qYpGq
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 21, 2019
The overwhelming majority of fans were fired up after discovering that Watt could be making his return. “Let’s go!” was the standard response. Others posted animated GIFs of people celebrating. The fans know the difference that Watt can make on a play-by-play basis, and they want to see him suiting up for the team once again.
That being said, there were some fans that showed hesitation when faced with the prospect of Watt returning to the lineup. On one hand, they were excited about the Texans and a potential boost to the defense. They also considered the potential setbacks that may occur.
One fan expressed his concern about Watt suiting up once again, writing: “[please] retire, tired of seeing you get injured dude [laughing out loud].” He was not the only one who expressed this sentiment as some fans wrote that they didn’t want Watt to return once again, only to suffer yet another injury during a critical playoff game.
Prior to tearing his pec in October, Watt was returning to the form that made him a perennial All-Pro. He had four sacks in eight games, as well as 20 quarterback hits. This number was among the league’s best for more than half of the season, and Watt was still eighth in the league in QB hits in early December despite playing in only seven games.
Photo Credit: Bob Levey/Getty
