A year ago, a back injury wrecked J.J. Watt's season. This year, it was a broken leg that did him in. Despite the rough injury luck, Watt is handling the situation better than he did a year ago.

"The biggest difference between last year and this year for me is I'm not letting myself go into that depressed, injured reserve mode," Watt said, per ESPN. "I'm still going to be optimistic, I'm still going to have fun, I'm still going to try to enjoy myself because there's no point. If you ... get down on yourself, then you're going to have a rough time. But I'm trying to have fun and be happy and do the best I can to stay optimistic."

That's because recovering from a broken leg is easier than recovering from a broken back, according to Watt.

"I think one of the biggest things that's a little bit easier about this year is with the back injury, nobody can see it," Watt said. "You're walking around, you look normal. Everything seems normal. When you're on crutches … people can understand a broken leg a lot easier than they can understand a broken back.

"Last year I felt so guilty, because I could walk, I could move, but I couldn't play. This year, I mean, my leg's broken. What am I going to do? For me it's easier mentally."

Watt suffered the injury back in Week 5, when he was carted off the field and taken to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with a tibial plateau fracture to his left leg. It was especially tragic for Watt given how hard he'd worked to get back onto the field after a back injury cost him most of the 2016 season. He also dealt with countless injuries during the 2015 season and later revealed that he contemplated retirement. 

In the past two seasons, Watt has played in eight total games. That's not just a tragedy for Watt and the Texans, it's also a tragedy for the NFL. When healthy, Watt is the best defensive player in the game. From 2011-15, he racked up 74.5 sacks, three Defensive Player of the Year awards, and four first-team All-Pro selections.

At 4-8, the Texans' season is all but over already, so Watt isn't missing much. But the team's future is bright. If Watt, fellow pass rusher Whitney Mercilus, and quarterback Deshaun Watson can recover in time for the 2018 season, the Texans will enter the year with legitimate playoff aspirations.

"It sucks," Watt said of his injury. "I'm not going to lie to you. I want to be out there with the guys. I hate not being out on the field, I hate not being at practice. But I also understand, it's just part of the game. And all I can do in the rehab room [is] to get ready for next year."

Earlier this week, Sports Illustrated named Watt and Astros second-baseman Jose Altuve its 2017 Sportsperson of the Year. Watt raised more than $37 million for relief efforts in Houston after Hurricane Harvey flooded the city.