Arizona Cardinals' J.J. Watt makes key play days after treatment for irregular heartbeat

J.J. Watt played Sunday at Carolina for the Arizona Cardinals, after reporting, via his personal Twitter account, that his heart went into an irregular rhythm on Wednesday.

The veteran defensive lineman said his heart went into atrial fibrillation or "AFib," Wednesday and needed to be shocked back into rhythm on Thursday. The condition is defined as "an irregular and often very rapid heart rhythm (arrhythmia) that can lead to blood clots in the heart" that  increases the risk of stroke, heart failure and other heart-related complications.

Watt was annoyed his condition was revealed by someone from within the organization, as only his family and Cardinals staff were aware of it and he didn't want to take away from what the team had to do in Sunday's game, he said after the 26-16 win over the Panthers. So he took to social media to get ahead of the news.

Watt talked to heart doctors from all of the country and was assured "multiple times" that there was nothing else that could be done. "They said it could happen again the next day, it could happen never again in 20 years. So I went back to practice Friday, practiced and here we are," he said.

It was an emotional week for the Watt family, he said, pausing to fight back tears as he spoke about the impending birth of his child. He said he thought about not playing anymore.

"Obviously I've had a lot of emotions but I've learned to appreciate the little things even more," Watt added.

Watt did not practice Wednesday and Thursday and was limited in Friday's practice. The Cardinals' official injury report listed the reason for Watt's absence as a calf problem along with an illness.

The Watts have been looking at ultrasounds of their baby boy for months, which made the matter hit even closer to home for J.J. Watt when he saw an image of his own heart.

On Sunday, Watt had a key tipped pass that led to a Dennis Gardeck interception in the fourth quarter. The Cardinals scored a couple of plays later.

"I don't want to take away from a great game. The boys played a great game. I'm thankful to be out there with them," Watt said.

"My wife (Kealia) was by my side the whole time, so that helped a lot. And then just, I didn't know what else to do. I've been playing this game my whole life," Watt added. "They said I was fine. So once my heart was reset, they said you're fine if you feel comfortable. I'd probably be more uncomfortable sitting on my couch at home. This is what I know. Right or wrong, maybe that's messed up. ... so I just did what I know."

Watt admitted to being scared for the first time about a medical matter involving his body, when he was told his heart needed to be shocked. So far there's been no determination as to what caused the condition.

"I'm glad it all worked out and I'm glad I had good people taking care of me," he said.

Watt, in his 12th NFL season, had the first two sacks this season so far for the Cardinals.

"There's a reason why he's our leader. He's just an absolute stud and we're just so fortunate to have him," Cardinals defensive lineman Zach Allen told the team's radio network postgame show.He's not just a great player but a great person. He's really one of the foundational pieces of this organization."

Get in touch with Jose Romero at Jose.Romero@gannett.com. Find him on Twitter at @RomeroJoseM. 

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Cardinals' J.J. Watt self-reports irregular heart beat, plays in Sunday's win