T.J. Watt was furious with the officials on Sunday.
Watt, of course, let his emotions fly on the sidelines.
TJ Watt had some choice words for the refs after his strip sack was taken away because of an offsides penalty 👀
(via @NFLonFOX)pic.twitter.com/Bmxr9yge6G
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 8, 2024
The Steelers defense has held the Falcons in check for most of the game, despite the tough calls against them. Their pass rush came out firing against Atlanta in the second half, putting immense pressure on Cousins and shutting down running backs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier. As far as the offsides call in question, fans will have to just give their best guess over whether or not the penalty is justified.
I slowed down the offsides call on T.J. Watt from the broadcast angle.
It looks like he times it perfectly. We saw similar plays go uncalled on Thursday night in Chiefs-Ravens where the snap was timed. pic.twitter.com/PhCLMMLqkW
— Josh Carney (@ByJoshCarney) September 8, 2024
The Steelers defense stepped up in second half
Watt later got redemption against the Falcons, (and the refs). He recovered a fumble at the 10:34 mark in the third quarter, which led to the Steelers making a successful drive to put improve their score to 12-10 with a field goal by Chris Boswell.
With a 15-10 lead, one could argue that the game should be out of reach if only the Falcons never got that fueled touchdown from the referees.
The Steelers offense has shown signs of improvement from last year, even if just by a thin margin. Quarterback Justin Fields has stepped in the game-managing role with great enthusiasm in place of the inactive Russell Wilson. They have to keep improving if they’re going to win future games in the 2024-25 season, though. At halftime, Fields completed 11-of-13 passes for 86 yards and zero touchdowns.
It will be Watt and fellow veteran star CB Minkah Fitzpatrick who need to continue getting the job done for Pittsburgh.
