Watch: T.J. Watt manhandles Joe Burrow to the ground during blowout loss to Bengals
T.J. Watt and the Pittsburgh Steelers have had their highs and lows in 2021. However, two season-lows have come against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals won Sunday's contest 41-10, embarrassing the Steelers and Watt. Watt, frustrated with the sky falling as a result of burrow" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Joe Burrow's great play, gave in to his emotions, taking it out on the quarterback.
T.J. Watt goes ham on Joe Burrow
TJ Watt taking out his frustrations on Joe Burrow after the INT https://t.co/RDXbekKxE6
Watt made contact with Burrow on a play that ended with the latter on his back. The play in question appears to be a running play, with Burrow engaging in a block with Watt. In typical quarterback fashion, Burrow wasn't laying out and putting his body on the line to open a gap. However, Watt's job involved contact and, coupled with frustration, the outside linebacker appeared to lose his composure as he pushed Burrow to the ground.
Credit to Joe Burrow. Not sure how many QBs would be willing to lock horns with Trent Jordan Watt like this. https://t.co/lRMkTlOPOh
The loss to the Bengals was unlike any seen since the 1980s, according to the broadcast. Ben Roethlisberger threw a late garbage-time touchdown to dress up what otherwise would have been a statline in which he threw two interceptions and no touchdowns. He completed 24 of 41 passes for 263 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.
Meanwhile, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow threw for 190 yards, a touchdown and an interception. The biggest story of the game was Joe Mixon, who had 28 carries for 165 yards and two touchdowns. Tee Higgins also had a big day, catching six balls for 114 yards and a touchdown.
For the Steelers, Diontae Johnson had a day, catching nine passes for 95 yards. Chase Claypool also had a big day, catching three passes for 82 yards. At the end of the day, the Steelers were dominated on the ground and had trouble moving the football. The Bengals outgained the Steelers 198 yards to 51 on the ground.
The next time these two teams play (which could be the playoffs), the Steelers will need to get Najee Harris going. That will help keep the Bengals' offense off the field. In the game, Harris only carried the ball eight times for 23 yards, averaging 2.9 yards per carry. To do better, the Steelers will need to find a way to get their offensive linemen into better blocking schemes to open more holes for Harris.
Of course, as this could very well be Roethlisberger's last season in the league, the Steelers will likely need to make many more moves during the offseason to fix their own issues and counter the Bengals' newfound gains.