J.J. Watt plays after heart procedure, leads Cardinals to win over Panthers

By Eric D. Williams
FOX Sports NFC West Writer

Just days after having a procedure for a heart issue, Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman J.J. Watt and the Cardinals put on a dominant defensive performance in a 26-16 victory on the road against the Carolina Panthers.

Watt tweeted Sunday morning that he went into atrial fibrillation, defined as an irregular heart rhythm, on Wednesday and had his heart shocked into rhythm on Thursday. According to the Mayo Clinic, A-fib can lead to blood clots in the heart, increasing the chances of stroke and heart failure. 

“It’s tough,” Watt said after the game, holding back tears. “My wife was by my side the whole time. That helped a lot. And then I didn’t know what else to do. I’ve been playing this game my whole life. They said I was fine. So once my heart was reset, they said you’re fine if you feel comfortable. And I’d probably be more uncomfortable sitting on my coach at home. This is what I know.”

The Cardinals held Baker Mayfield and the Panthers to 220 total yards, forced three turnovers and finished with eight passes defended — the most for Arizona since 2018 — taking over the game in the second half. 

The key play happened with 11:17 left in the game. The Cardinals earned their first lead in regulation this season on a 39-yard field goal by Matt Prater, giving Arizona a 13-10 lead. On the ensuring possession, on first-and-10 from the 25-yard-line, Watt deflected Mayfield’s short pass intended for DJ Moore. Outside linebacker Dennis Gardeck intercepted the pass and returned it to Carolina’s 5-yard-line. 

Two plays later, Kyler Murray skirted into the end zone from four yards out, putting the Cardinals up 20-10, a lead they never gave up and part of 23 straight points Arizona scored in the second half to take over the game. 

Watt finished with three combined tackles and two pass defections. He showed why he earned the nickname “J.J. Swat” during his time with the Houston Texans, executing a Dikembe Mutombo finger wag after his second pass batted down.

Watt’s fellow defensive lineman, Zach Allen, totaled six combined tackles, a sack, two quarterback hits and three pass deflections. 

Mayfield struggled, finishing 22-of-36 for 197 yards, with a touchdown pass and two interceptions. He heard boos late in the game, as the Panthers dropped to 1-3 on the season. 

The Cardinals improved to 2-2, due largely to Watt and the defense.

“I talked to cardiologists and electrophysiologists all across the country,” Watt told reporters after the game. “And I was assured multiple times by multiple people there was nothing else to do but to go back and play like normal. They said [A-fib] can happen again the next day, or it could happen never again in the next 20 years. I was assured multiple times, so I went back to practice, practiced and here we are.”  

Watt said he revealed the medial issue himself because someone had leaked the information and it would be reported on Sunday. 

According to Arizona’s injury report this week, Watt did not practice on Wednesday due to a calf issue, but illness was added to his injury designation on Thursday when he also did not practice. Watt was limited on Friday and questionable heading into Sunday’s game.

Since Watt joined the organization last season, the Cardinals are 9-1 when he starts. He missed the season opener but leads Arizona with two sacks on the year. 

While Arizona’s defense played well, the offense once again sputtered early on. The Cardinals are the only NFL team to not score in the first quarter, and Arizona trailed 10-3 at halftime.

But like he’s done all season, coach Kliff Kingsbury found a rhythm with Murray and the offense in the second half. Murray finished 23-of-32 for 207 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, which was returned 33 yards for the first score of the game by Carolina linebacker Frankie Luvu.

“The locker room was juiced,” Murray said when asked about how his teammates responded at halftime. “A lot of juice, a lot of liveliness. Nobody was down. We knew what we were capable of. We just had to come out here and put it in gear.” 

Murray’s favorite target was Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, who finished with six receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown on 11 targets. 

The Cardinals also finished with 132 rushing yards, led by James Conner‘s 55 yards on 15 carries and this nasty stiff arm.

But it was Watt and the defense that carried the day for Arizona.

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.