J.J. Watt Is the Biggest Star —Even When Not Technically on the Field

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There is a sure thing in the NFL this weekend, and it’s not that the heavily favored New England Patriots will beat the Houston Texans. It’s that J.J. Watt will steal the show—even though he isn’t actually playing. NFL broadcasts love to show big names on the sidelines, and Saturday night’s game will feature shots of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, as usual. The only difference is that Watt is injured. He’s out for the season and won’t have any impact on the game.

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But that didn’t stop ESPN’s cameras from flashing to Watt on 20 separate occasions in Houston’s win last week, according to The Count’s video review of the game. They showed him vigorously clapping. And casually talking to his teammates. And simply milling around. In one shot, Watt appeared to be wandering aimlessly, as if he needed something to do. J.J. Watt claps. J.J. Watt claps. Watt’s eagerness to celebrate landed him on screen after pretty much every big play, too. He rewarded teammates with high-fives and hugs after each of the Texans’ three interceptions in their win over the Oakland Raiders. He was also name-checked or shown after two of Houston’s three sacks—even though, again, he wasn’t responsible for any of them. The commentators didn’t even need the excuse of Watt being on the screen to talk about him. They brought him up on their own four separate times.

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