Arizona Cardinals: 3 bold predictions for J.J. Watt’s final NFL games

We now know that Arizona Cardinals defensive end J.J. Watt will be retiring following the conclusion of the 2022 NFL Season. 

Now that J.J. Watt is retiring, it’s time to get bold, given the Arizona Cardinals 4-11 record coupled with the fact they need to make sure Watt exits the league on top of his game. That said, look for an ultra-tenacious Watt to up his game in Weeks 17 and 18 as he seeks to end his career on a high note.

Since the Redbirds have nothing to lose, and given the fact they are playing a lowly Atlanta Falcons team this week, don’t be surprised if the following predictions, bold as they are, come true. And it wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if this team rose up to the challenge in Week 18 vs. the NFC West Champions, the San Francisco 49ers, and that Watt enjoys the game of his life.

So let’s take a look at some ultra-bold predictions for the future Hall of Famer’s final two games.

1 – Watt records two sacks, four quarterback hits

With 9.5 sacks this season and 21 quarterback hits, Watt can easily snag another two sacks and quarterback hits. In fact, just two weeks ago, the Arizona Cardinals defensive end enjoyed a three-sack performance in a loss to the Denver Broncos. He also has five quarterback hits in the same span.

Therefore, it is more than possible that Watt hits these numbers. And I’m so confident he will have a successful final stint to his career, I’ll even go on to say he records at least five more tackles for loss.

2 – Watt catches one more touchdown pass

In 2014, Watt caught three touchdown passes, so the former college tight end has definitely shown he is sure-handed. With the Arizona Cardinals forced to resort to playing a lot of backups over the last two weeks, expect some creativity from head coach Kliff Kingsbury, who may also be in his final games with the Redbirds.

Expect to see Watt takes some snaps on offense near the goal line, where he will log one last touchdown reception. However, it won’t be the final touchdown of his career. Check out the last bold prediction on this list and you will see why.

3 – Watt records one last pick six

Yes, you can expect J.J. Watt to end his career with an exclamation point. I’m projecting this one doesn’t happen until Week 18 against the 49ers. It will occur late, during the waning stages of a game where the Arizona Cardinals are giving their division rival more than they can handle.

Watt will drop back into coverage, and bam, he will take it to the house for one final hurrah in the end zone. It would be quite the way to end an NFL career in style.

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(Statistics provided by Pro-Football-Reference)