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• Steelers star T.J. Watt placed in concussion protocol

  Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt was placed in concussion protocol after the 2021 Defensive Player of the Year reported symptoms on Friday.

  Watt played 51 of Pittsburgh’s 57 defensive snaps in Thursday’s 21-18 loss to the New England Patriots.

  The five-time Pro Bowler inadvertently had his facemask collide with Patriot running back Ezekiel Elliott’s knee in the first quarter, and Watt was evaluated briefly on the sideline before returning.

  Watt’s 14 sacks this season trail only Khalil Mack of the Los Angeles Chargers, who has 15.

  Alex Highsmith, who emerged as a standout edge-rushing complement to Watt with 14.5 sacks last season, missed most of Thursday’s game after going into concussion protocol in the first half.

  Inside linebackers Kwon Alexander and Cole Holcomb are already out for the year.

  Veteran Markus Golden and rookie Nick Herbig are projected to be the starting edge-rushing combination in next Saturday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts if Watt and Highsmith remain in protocol.

  Watt is a three-time All-Pro selection with 91.5 sacks and 189 quarterback hits in 100 career games.

• Raiders have rediscovered 'swagger' since replacing McDaniels with Pierce, says Harmon

  The Las Vegas Raiders made the right decision when they fired head coach Josh McDaniels last month and have got their "swagger" back under interim coach Antonio Pierce.

  That is the view of three-time Super Bowl-winning safety Duron Harmon, who hopes Pierce gets a shot at leading the team on a full-time basis next season.

  The Raiders parted company with coach McDaniels and general manager David Ziegler in early November, having made a 3-5 start to McDaniels' second season with the franchise.

  Pierce has overseen something of an upturn since taking the reins, with the Raiders overcoming the New York Giants – with whom Pierce won Super Bowl XLII during his playing career – and the New York Jets before losing difficult games against the Miami Dolphins and the Kansas City Chiefs.

  Harmon, who was with the Raiders last year, believes the team are already seeing their decision pay off, telling Stats Perform: "I think [the owner] Mark Davis did the best thing. 

  "I have a lot of respect for Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler. They allowed me to go out there and play and I enjoyed my time there. But you could just tell the team wasn't responding to the coach. 

  "So they did the right thing by letting him go and hiring somebody on an interim basis, like Antonio Pierce, another man who's a great leader, a leader of men who could just kind of get the juices going back throughout the locker room.

  "I think they've done that. They played the Dolphins tough. They beat the Jets, they beat the Giants, I believe. 

  "Then they ran into the Chiefs [last week], which is a tough test for everybody. Amik [Robertson] and Devante [Adams] came out and said that basically, they beat themselves. When you watch the tape, you could probably agree with them. 

  "The idea that they have this type of confidence now, it shows that they have a head coach that is giving them that swagger that they need."

  The 5-7 Raiders are outside the playoff picture in the AFC with five games to play, but Harmon does not think the prospect of a postseason run is completely unrealistic. 

  "Hopefully, they can maybe get on a little run and maybe sneak into playoffs," he added.

  "I have a lot of great relationships over there, and I still talk to a lot of guys over there and they can't talk highly enough about the energy shift that has been since Antonio has taken over. 

  "So, I wish those guys the best of luck. I think if all goes well, hopefully, they give AP a good hard look to make him not only the interim but the head coach for the future."

• Browns safety Harmon defiant despite Chubb, Watson injuries, calls on team to 'win at all costs'

  Cleveland Browns safety Duron Harmon says the team cannot dwell on injuries to key players Nick Chubb and Deshaun Watson, saying they must find a way to "win at all costs".

  The Browns have lost several key players this season, starting with star running back Chubb as he suffered a gruesome knee injury in Week 2, which has required two separate surgeries. 

  That injury put even greater responsibility on quarterback Watson, but he was forced to undergo season-ending surgery after sustaining a fracture in his throwing shoulder last month.

  Despite their absences, the Browns approach their Week 14 matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars with a 7-5 record and are one of three teams from the AFC North currently in a playoff position.

  Speaking exclusively to Stats Perform, Harmon – who signed to Cleveland's practice squad in November – said they cannot afford to dwell on those injuries, remaining bullish about their Super Bowl hopes.

  Asked what the Browns' mentality would be for the rest of the season, Harmon said: "Find a way to win. it's not about making excuses. 

  "It's not about talking about who could be there, who's not going to be there, who might be there. It's about just finding a way to win. 

  "We're at the point of the season where everybody has, or is dealing with, some type of injuries on their team.

  "The teams who just find a way are the teams that are going to be there in the end competing for that Lombardi. So we've just got to find a way to win at all costs."

  The Browns had another injury scare last week as defensive end Myles Garrett was seen with his arm in a sling following the team's 29-12 loss to the Denver Broncos, though he was able to suit up for their road game against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 13 – a 36-19 defeat.

  Harmon believes Garrett, who ranks fifth in the NFL for sacks this year with 13, is the standout athlete in the league.

  Asked what makes the star edge rusher special, Harmon said: "I think just his motor, his get-off, his athletic ability. Myles Garrett is truly one-of-one. 

  "I was talking to a team-mate yesterday and I was like, 'Myles Garrett might be the best athlete in the NFL'. 

  "Just as a pure athlete, and he looked at me and said, 'There's no might about it, he is'. Just watching how he practices, watching how he goes about his day, how he treats his profession, how he works on his craft daily. It's no surprise he is where he is. 

  "It's no surprise he's going to continue to get better and terrorise quarterbacks. He takes the right approach every day. The success coming his way is because he works for it and he's earned it."