Tyler Boyd doubles down on claim that Steelers gave up in 4th quarter vs. Bengals
The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals games have been some of the toughest rivalries the last few seasons. Even when the teams are unmatched in records, the officiating crews are advised to watch for penalties and scuffles.
So a Week 3 matchup between two 1-1 teams should be a fierce battle, right? Well, wrong. The Steelers have numerous injuries on both offense and defense, playing Sunday's game without linebacker T.J. Watt and wide receiver Diontae Johnson to name a few.
While some believed it was the offensive line and lack of depth chart that led to the Steelers woes, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd felt otherwise.
Boyd said after the Bengals' 24-10 win over the Steelers that he felt the Pittsburgh players "gave up" towards the end of the game.
Now, days later, Boyd has taken to social media to defend his comments.
Tyler Boyd sticks by comments that Steelers 'gave up'
The Steelers team that took the field on Sunday afternoon were not playing to their full potential. When asked about the win against Pittsburgh, Tyler Boyd said that the Steelers' three dropped passes at the end of the game were the result of the players giving up. He then went on to say that the whole nation saw the Steelers give up on television and that the Bengals would never give up regardless of the score. His full comments:
Tyler Boyd was asked if he felt the message was sent after the game that the Steelers were looking at a different #Bengals team than in the past.
His full answer here shows he wasn’t interested in being shy on the topic or hesitant to fan the flames of an old rivalry. https://t.co/9xrmlfV0w9
Days later, Tyler Boyd is sticking by his comments that the Steelers gave up and it showed.On Tuesday morning he tweeted the following message insisting on what he saw on the field and then ended the tweet with the fact that he is moving on to the upcoming game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Of all my years playin the Steelers I've never saw them finish like that and I have nothin but respect for them but wats understood doesn't need to be explain jags up next
Did the Steelers play differently? Yes, but some of it was due to the fact that with additional injuries occurring during the game, the Steelers had players in positions that they weren't accustomed to playing, including the offensive line. While this did not sit well with Steelers fans, head coach Mike Tomlin also pushed back at the comments in his weekly press conference on Tuesday morning.
Tomlin said:
Mike Tomlin on the team quitting: “I don’t care about Tyler Boyd’s opinion on what transpired at any point in the game.”
Tomlin on Tyler Boyd: “He’s entitled to his opinion but I don’t have to respond to it.”
Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Tomlin insists that the Steelers aren't ready to hit the panic button just yet and that there are adjustments within the roster that can still be made to recover from injuries.