The Steelers have activated T.J. Watt from the Reserve/COVID-19 list, per a club announcement. This means the star linebacker will be eligible to play in tomorrow’s game against the Ravens. 
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Watt, 27, has 12.5 sacks, four passes defensed, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries through nine games this year. Even with the time he’s missed due to hip and knee injuries, his 12.5 sacks are good for second in the NFL behind Browns defensive end Myles Garrett. The Steelers, stationed at 5-5-1, are getting him back at a critical juncture. A win would keep their slim playoffs alive; a loss would virtually rule them out of a Wild Card berth.
Watt has spent the week away from the team in quarantine, but coaches have been keeping him in the loop. The Steelers have been sending him practice footage (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Aditi Kinkhabwala), getting him up to speed on their plan to contain Lamar Jackson.
While the Steelers will have Watt, cornerback Joe Haden, defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs, and inside linebacker Robert Spillane will not be on the field against Baltimore. The Steelers may or may not have Cam Heyward available — the defensive lineman was held out of practice yesterday with an undisclosed illness.
Great. Now if they can clone T.J. 7 or 8 times between now and kickoff they might stand a chance. Joe Mixon ran through that defense like a hot knife through butter, so imagine what Lamar Jackson and company might do. I’ve been watching the Steelers for over 40 years and that was some of the worst defense I’ve ever seen last week.
The Steelers are done. They did it with smoke and mirrors for awhile, but the “cruel winds of autumn” have blown their cover.