The Pittsburgh Steelers had a frustrating night on Thursday, and it showed. Numerous players were visibly upset, from quarterback Aaron Rodgers, to defensive stars T.J. The Steelers were down 21-7 against the Cleveland Browns with less than two minutes to go in the first half, with their second-quarter drives reading "interceptions, punt, missed field goal" and the home team's resulting in "touchdown, touchdown, touchdown." It was a tough showing for the offense and defense and one player decided to take things into his own hands.
Watt, a former Defensive Player of the Year and eight-time Pro Bowler, asked for a coach's headset so he could speak to those in the booth, including defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. I'm not a body language expert, but it certainly didn't look like a pleasant conversation. Watt asked for the headset to speak to the coaching staff 😅#TNFonPrime pic.twitter.com/AchzuDdQoP It's certainly not typical for a player to do this, so Watt must have really felt strongly about how the game was called to step in.
Whatever Watt did seemed to work to some degree, as the Steelers came back to tie the game with just under two minutes to go, but ultimately lost 27-24 after a late field goal from the Browns. "It's extremely frustrating," Watt said after the game. "To not sit here at 3-1 isn't acceptable.
Obviously, it's a long season to go, but we just have to put it together." He said there were situations in the game that they feel like they would want back or done better, and they'll watch film this week to see where those spots were. Watt added that there is an urgent need to improve, saying, "We have to get better and get better quick." When asked if he felt there was anything weighing the defense down, he gave a very immediate and strong, "No." While total yards on offense (Browns 372 to 361), turnovers (2 per team), third down efficiency (Steelers: 4-of-13, Browns: 4-of 10) and red zone efficiency (Steelers: 2-of-3, Browns 2-of-2) were comparable, the Browns easily marched down the field when it mattered most. The former first overall pick took accountability for the defense's woes, while giving credit to his offense.
"We always have faith," Watt said on the near comeback. "Anytime we have 8 [Rodgers] at quarterback we've seen those guys move the ball up and down the field all the time so we're just trying to give those guys a chance and we didn't do it tonight." He was far from the only Steeler to have a notable reaction during the game. Seven-time Pro Bowler Cam Heyward appeared to scream at another player, "That's f----ed up man.
That's f---iing crazy!" The cameras also caught Rodgers and head coach Mike McCarthy in a heated exchange, using colorful language other over play calls. After the game, McCarthy unsurprisingly got questions about what was said and his response could also apply to Watt and Heyward. "What's said on the field, the way I grew up in this game, usually stays on the field.
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