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Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network is reporting that JJ Watt could be out for the year after re-injuring his back. The length of time he will be out hasn’t been determined yet, but it sounds like he will definitely miss this week’s game between the Texans and Titans:
Sources: #Texans star DL JJ Watt has re-injured his back and is expected to be out for an extended period of time. Could be the season.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 28, 2016
This is obviously a big blow for the Texans. Watt is a guy that the opposing offense has to account for on every play. He makes the other 10 players on the field better just by being out there. The Texans have plenty of good players on defense, but none of them are anywhere close to the caliber of Watt. They all take a hit with him sidelined.
The Texans look like the best team in a bad AFC South through 3 weeks. It will be interesting to see how much that changes now. The Titans will get the first look at them after this news on Sunday. A Titans’ win would pull them even with the Texans and give them the upper hand based on the head to head win.