Matt Weston:
When the season started, I was worried about the front seven. I had brain-shredding nightmares about a defense without J.J. Watt. Fears of a front seven lacking depth in August stuck around my head and laced my heart. If Watt was injured, how far would the defense drop off? From sixth in defensive DVOA to 10th? To 15th? To 20th? I had no idea.
Then all of those preseason fears became reality when it was confirmed that one of the greatest defensive players of all time, a man who had never missed a game, would be out for the rest of the season because of another back surgery.