J.J. Watt Leg Injury: Houston Texans Star Fractures Shinbone

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt was carted to the locker room after suffering a serious leg injury Sunday night in a game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Texans revealed an hour after the play that Watt fractured the tibial plateau in his left leg and pending additional tests will be placed on injured reserve, ending his season.

On the first drive of the game, Watt bull rushed Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith on third down. As he tried to shed a block, though, he stumbled and fell to the ground in obvious pain. His left leg/knee appeared to buckle during the play, and he tried to stand up and continue. But the pain was too much, and he fell back to the ground.

Texans trainers rushed to Watt and examined his ACL/MCL, and he had to be helped to the sideline by two trainers. Once on the sideline, Watt was looked at in a medical tent before getting helped onto a cart and transported to the locker room where he got X-rays. Watt was ruled out for the remainder of the game, and his emotional facial expression said it all.

Watch a video of the injury below:

Watt was seen on crutches outside of the Texans locker room before being loaded into an ambulance, presumably on his way to a hospital.

Losing Watt for an extended period of time is obviously a massive blow for the Texans’ defense. Since entering the NFL in 2011, the former Wisconsin Badger led the league in sacks and hits with 239 and tackles for no gain/loss (106). He’s been named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year three times (2012, 2014 and 2015) in his career so far.

However, injuries have plagued recent seasons. In 2015, he battled a groin injury and a fractured left hand all season, but still played all 16 games. Months after the season, though, he underwent back surgery for a herniated disc and started the 2016-17 season on the PUP list. He made a quick return from the surgery and played in the season opener, but the injury lingered. He was placed on injured reserve September 28, and he missed the remainder of the season after undergoing another back surgery.

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