By Jordan Long
The Arizona Cardinals look to stay perfect tonight as they host the Green Bay Packers. Kickoff is at 6:20 Mountain Time. Arizona is going to be without defensive end JJ Watt, not only for this game but he might be done for the rest of the year. He is going to undergo surgery on his shoulder.
Watt has been one of the best defensive ends since he was drafted by the Houston Texans 11th overall in the 2011 NFL Draft. Quarterbacks had to know where he was lined up. Watt can beat the offensive lineman guarding him to sack the quarterback. He is also key to stopping the opponent’s running game because Watt tackles a running back for a loss or a short gain. Watt has totaled 5 years of 10+ sacks. He even had a career high 20.5 sacks in both 2012 and 2014 for Houston.
Watt was a free agent during the offseason. He decided to sign with the Arizona Cardinals. The deal was for 2-years worth a total of $31 million. Watt was hoping a change to Arizona would help him win a Super Bowl ring, the only goal left in his Hall of Fame resume. Up until the injury, Watt had 16 tackles and 1 sack. Arizona is 7-0 going into tonight’s game. Arizona is in a position to be a team that is going to earn a playoff spot this year. Once they are in the postseason, they have a chance to win a Super Bowl.
With Watt shut down for the rest of the year, this marks the 4th year in his career he is unable to play a full 16 games, rather disappointing for a player of his caliber. He can’t seem to stay on the field and with one more year left on his contract who knows what Watt has left in the tank. Arizona is most likely going to keep him for the final year of his deal since Watt at this time has no plans to retire.
No matter what, Watt is going to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame once he is retired from the NFL. He has done enough, even if he doesn’t win a Super Bowl. Watt has 102 sacks and 547 tackles to this point. Hopefully, Watt can play a few more years in the NFL injury free even though it doesn’t look like it.
Leave a Reply