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By Max Dible
Contributing Sports Writer
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The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens will square off in primetime on "Sunday Night Football" in Week 18 and compete for the highest of regular-season stakes -- an AFC North Division title and the right to host a home playoff game as the No. 4 seed in the conference.
Both teams will operate at personnel deficits on Sunday. The Steelers will be without wide receiver DK Metcalf, who will serve the second half of a two-game suspension from the NFL for a physical altercation with a Detroit Lions fan in Week 16.
Meanwhile, the Ravens will start two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson, who is battling through a back injury that sidelined him for last Saturday's contest against the Green Bay Packers.
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Every little break, good or bad, for both teams matters critically now -- and Pittsburgh just got a big one in their favor with regards to superstar pass-rusher T.J. Watt.
Read More: Steelers’ Mike Tomlin Reveals Crucial Update on TJ Watt’s Status vs Ravens
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"I feel pretty good," Watt told reporters Friday, per Pro Football Talk. "Don’t know that I could’ve said that a week ago. But I feel really good about the week of practice, and I’m excited to play."
Watt last took the field on Dec. 7 in Baltimore against the Ravens. He has missed three games since following a collapsed lung, which was caused by a pain relief method known as dry needle therapy.
“I got the dry needling at the facility," Watt explained. "[I] didn’t feel right afterwards, was in a significant amount of pain, ended up going to the hospital, having surgery, and the recovery was just different because it wasn’t something I’m used to."
Watt is having a down season with just seven total sacks across 13 games, another thing he isn't used to. The former Defensive Player of the Year (2021) has finished with a single-digit sack total just twice in his career -- during his rookie campaign in 2017 and again in 2022 when he played in just 10 games due to injuries.
Watt's return is massive for a Steelers defense that will have to be stout against the Ravens on Sunday, as the offense struggled mightily without Metcalf in Week 17, scoring just six points in a road loss to the Cleveland Browns.
Read More: Steelers’ Aaron Rodgers Offers Big Update on NFL Future
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