Joe Sargent/Getty Images Tyler Boyd of the Cincinnati Bengals runs with the ball against the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 26, 2021.
The Cincinnati Bengals came into Heinz Field as a 2.5-point underdog on Sunday Sept. 26, but left the stadium with a resounding 24-10 victory. According to Cincinnati wide receiver Tyler Boyd, the win over the Steelers (1-2) meant more than just a W in the AFC North standings. It also sent a message to other NFL teams that the Bengals (2-1) are a force to be reckoned with. “Just being able to go in there and bully them and hit them in the mouth—that definitely sent a message,” said the sixth-year veteran during his media session on Monday.
But the 26-year-old didn’t stop there. He also accused the Steelers of quitting while the game was still in progress.
Tyler Boyd: The Steelers ‘Gave Up’
“I think the good thing about that win was not only did the Steelers feel that but everybody in the country felt it because the last plays of the game for them they gave up. You could see it. They had three drops in a row and for a team to see that is giving us more power,” he said, referring to the dropped passes by running back Najee Harris and wide receiver Chase Claypool that ended Pittsburgh’s last possession.
Boyd—who had a 17-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter that gave the Bengals a 7-0 lead—went on to insist that the 2021 Bengals would never quit, under any circumstances.
“No matter how much we are losing by or whatever the case may be, I know me and I know us, we not giving up and we are going to continue to try and make plays and make something happen. But [the Steelers] betrayed it to the whole nation on TV—what they are about and how they gave up. We just gotta take advantage,” he concluded, presumably referring to the next time the two teams meet, on Nov. 28 in Cincinnati.
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Boyd Has Provided Primo Bulletin Board Material
It remains to be seen whether Boyd’s strong words come back to haunt him and his team. The Bengals are still a long way from clinching a playoff berth, much less winning the AFC North or emerging victorious in a postseason game.
Being a Pittsburgh native—and a member of the Bengals for the past six seasons—he ought to know that talk is cheap, and that the Steelers don’t figure to stay down for long. That’s why Sunday’s game was the first win he’s experienced against the Steelers in Pittsburgh—and just the second of his career.
Prior to the Bengals winning 27-17 in Cincinnati last December, the black & orange hadn’t won a game vs. the Steelers since before he was selected in the second-round of the 2016 NFL Draft out of the University of Pittsburgh.
Since that time he has played in a total of 74 games for the Bengals, recording 335 career receptions for 3,884 yards and 20 receiving touchdowns. Thus far in 2021 he has 14 catches for 141 yards and the catch-and-run touchdown vs. the Steelers. All told, he was targeted by Joe Burrow on six different occasions on Sunday and authored four receptions for 36 yards.
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