Week 12 was not T.J. Watt’s best game with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Watt has been a force of nature this year, but against the Cleveland Browns, he had a quieter day. That could be said about almost the entire team in a 24-19 loss. The Steelers looked sluggish against the Browns, getting their act together too late. Watt knows the Steelers’ defense needed to step up in a big way to end that game — and failed to do so.
“Very deflating,” Watt said after the game via Steelers Live on Twitter. “We need to close out games. We weren’t able to do that tonight and the result is a loss.”
Things were ugly to end the game for the Steelers’ defense. Overall, the Steelers had a fine night defensively, but they struggled more than they should have. The Browns’ offense isn’t anything special, and yet, it was better than the Steelers in key moments. One perfect example is that the Browns went four-for-four on fourth-down conversions, including scoring a touchdown on fourth and goal.
The Steelers’ defense is supposed to win in those scenarios. It’s one of the most talented units in the NFL and has been elite at times this year. Thursday night, the Steelers just did not look like themselves defensively at times.
That isn’t to say they didn’t make plays. Without their defense, the Steelers would’ve had no chance to win that game. Nick Herbig forced a fumble in a big spot, allowing the Steelers to score a touchdown. Donte Jackson came away with an interception late in the fourth quarter although the Steelers’ offense couldn’t seal the game.
Unfortunately, all players like Watt will likely think about is that final Browns’ drive. They weren’t put in a great position after a shanked Corliss Waitman punt, but they still had the Browns right where they wanted them.
It was third and seven with just under two minutes to go, and the Browns were facing a long field goal if they didn’t convert. It seemed like they were going to attempt another fourth-down conversion no matter what, but it never came to that. The Steelers’ defense wasn’t ready, and quarterback Jameis Winston completed a 15-yard pass to wide receiver Jerry Jeudy.
A few plays later, and the Browns reclaimed the lead and hung on for just their third win of the season. It had to leave a bad taste in the mouth of the Steelers’ defensive players. No matter how many plays they made, they came up short in the game’s biggest moment. The loss certainly isn’t all on them, but they were part of the problem.
