Texans’ J.J. Watt broke his hand Wednesday but expects to play Sunday

J.J. Watt is one tough guy.

The Houston Texans star defensive end broke his left hand Wednesday, wore a cast on it and missed practice Thursday.

But he has every intention of playing against the New England Patriots on Sunday night.

Four days after breaking his hand.

“I’ve played with worse than this before, even this season,” Watt said Thursday. “This I’m not very worried about. My elbow a couple years back was way more painful. This was painful when it happened, but it’s football. In a game of football you’re going to play with pain. If you don’t play with pain you’re probably in the wrong sport.”

The two-time and reigning defensive player of the year has never missed a game in his five NFL seasons.

At 6-6, the Texans are in the thick of the AFC playoff race and need their best player on the field for a crucial game Sunday. Watt leads the league with 13.5 sacks.

“I don’t think it will affect him,” Coach Bill O’Brien said Thursday of Watt’s injury.

Watt was asked if he was worried that opposing players would try to take advantage of his injury.

“Let them try,” Watt said. “I mean what? The opposing players come after me every week with every type of thing in the book you can think of. So feel free, go ahead come at me. I’ll take advantage of whatever you try to do. It’s my job to get to the quarterback. That’s what I do. You can try and take advantage of whatever you want to take advantage of.”