Unwilling and unable to hold back in the aftermath of the Steelers‘ 27-24 loss in Cleveland to the Browns, star linebacker T.J. Watt let his own defense have it after the game.
Feeling as if his defense made it way “too easy” on Deshaun Watson and the Browns all night, Watt, as one of the leaders of the unit, expressed his disgust in the overall play of the group as a whole.
T.J. Watt Expressed Noticeable Frustration After the Game
“I mean, even at the end of the game there, it’s just way too easy getting down the field there, getting them in range,” Watt explained to reporters. “Just got to look at everything and move forward.”
Watt, who was seen yelling at teammates and even calling up the coordinators box to discuss play calling during the game, and company allowed the Browns to rack up 372 yards of total offense, with 260 of them coming through the air. Watson, continuing his career renaissance, completed 24-of-33 passes for 268 yards with a touchdown, although also an interception. He even ran for 22 yards on seven rushing attempts.
Watson even involved seven different receivers in the game, as Denzel Boston led Cleveland in receiving yards with 89 and Jerry Jeudy caught three big passes for 36 yards to move the chains in the fourth quarter.
Watt Knows the Steelers’ Defense Can Be Better
“I mean, credit to them, they had a good game plan,” said Watt, giving credit to the opponent as well.
“Clearly it worked for them. Obviously, there’s going to be situations where we feel like we would want back or we could have done better. That’s what we’ll get in the lab about and watch the film. Have to get better and get better quick. You just can’t have them move the ball that easily. You just can’t,” added a frustrated Watt, fully believing the Steelers’ defense is capable of a much better effort.
Pittsburgh’s Offense Has Its Own Issues
Watt and the defense were not the only problem for Pittsburgh. The offense struggled throughout most of the game, too. Even though Aaron Rodgers threw for 299 yards, most of that production was during a late comeback attempt. Overall, the Steelers lost the total yardage battle with 361 despite running two more plays.
It will now be up to Watt, Rodgers and the entire Steelers team to be better in the next matchup between the two AFC North rivals, one that takes place in about a month on Sunday, Nov. 1 at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh.
T.J. Watt Blasts Effort of Steelers’ Defense in Loss to Browns