J.J. Watt injury update: Cardinals DE to have season-ending shoulder injury

The Arizona Cardinals announced yesterday that defensive end J.J. Watt will miss the team's highly-anticipated Thursday Night Football clash against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.

Watt's loss was undoubtedly a massive blow to the Cardinals' game plan to contain Rodgers and the Packers' ground game. But the expectation was that the veteran wouldn't be sidelined for too long and would be available for the Cardinals' Week 9 clash against division rivals, the San Francisco 49ers.

However, the latest update on Watt's injury is terrible news for the Cardinals.

J.J. Watt to miss the rest of the season

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, J.J. Watt will undergo surgery to repair his shoulder, which will see him miss the rest of the 2021 NFL season.

It's a massive blow for the Cardinals, who will undoubtedly miss Watt's presence on the field. In seven games this season, Watt recorded 16 tackles and a sack. In their Week 6 win over the Cleveland Browns, he had his best game as a Cardinal, recording five tackles and his first sack for his new team.

Watt hurt his shoulder in the second quarter of the Cardinals' blowout win over the Houston Texans in Week 7. The veteran defensive end soldiered on and finished the game, recording three tackles against his former team.

J.J. Watt's injury-prone past

J.J. Watt's Hall of Fame career has been plagued by injuries.

The former Houston Texans defensive end did not miss a single game in the first five seasons of his career but has managed to play all 16 regular-season games only twice in the past six years.

Watt was limited to just three games during the 2016 season due to a herniated disc that required season-ending surgery. In Week 5 of the 2017 season, Watt suffered a tibial plateau fracture against the Kansas City Chiefs, prematurely ending his campaign.

Watt remained relatively injury-free during the 2018 season and managed to play all 16 regular-season games. In Week 8 of the 2019 season, Watt suffered a Grade 3 pectoral tear against the Oakland Raiders, ending his campaign.

Last season, he managed to play all 16 games for the Texans but was a shadow of his former self, managing just five sacks, the fewest he's recorded in a full 16-game season.

Watt joined the Cardinals this offseason to fulfill his ambition of winning the Super Bowl, but he'll now be limited to cheering his team from the sidelines.

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