Steelers’ T.J. Watt confident in return from punctured lung

PITTSBURGH — T.J. Watt said he is “excited to play” Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens after missing the past three games recovering from a partially collapsed lung.

“I feel pretty good,” the Pittsburgh Steelers star said Friday, speaking for the first time since the Dec. 10 incident and subsequent surgery. “Honestly, don’t know if I could have said that a week ago, but I feel really good. Feel really confident about the week of practice and excited to play.”

Watt was a full participant in practice Friday for the first time since the injury and doesn’t have an injury designation for Sunday’s game. He said he hasn’t discussed playing on a snap count for the winner-take-all AFC North showdown.

“It’s still so early,” said Watt, who has seven sacks, two fumble recoveries, one interception and 10 tackles for loss this season. “Like I said, I had a great week of practice. I had no limitations. Tried to simulate as much as I could with shoulder pads and stuff like that, but you can only simulate so much. So I feel really good right now. Hoping that’s the case on Sunday as well.”

Detailing the situation that resulted in his hospitalization and surgery, Watt said he was in “significant” pain after the dry needling treatment at the team facility.

“Didn’t feel right,” he said. “Shortly afterwards was in a significant amount of pain. Ended up going to the hospital and, as you guys saw, ended up needing surgery, and the recovery was just different because it was something I wasn’t used to, but I’m very thankful for everybody here. … It’s been very unique, but I feel really good sitting here today.”

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Watt said he has used dry needling in the past and always at the team facility, calling what happened “a fluke thing, apparently.” Watt, though, added that he won’t be doing any dry needling treatments anytime soon.

He said the recovery was difficult to navigate because it’s unlike anything else he has experienced.

“Anytime you spend two or three nights in the hospital, it sucks,” he said. “But luckily I have a great support system here, with my wife, obviously, my family. Everybody at the team was really supportive, and I think, more than anything, it was just trying to figure out how to attack coming back.

“It’s not like a knee, so it was all new feelings. It was a surgery I wasn’t very familiar with, but I’m very happy to feel as good as I do right now.”

He added that he doesn’t have any hard feelings toward the team after the treatment occurred at its facility.

With his team competing for a playoff berth in the regular-season finale, Watt said returning for this game was a priority.

“Oh huge,” Watt said of his motivation. “I mean, this is a huge game. Obviously, we just started the playoffs a week early, and we get to have a home game. Really excited to get back out here in front of Steeler Nation and leave it all on the field.”