4 takeaways from Steelers all-important victory vs Titans
By Tommy Jaggi
The Pittsburgh Steelers hosted the Tennessee Titans in a must-win Week 15 matchup. Here are my winners and losers from the game.
Though the Pittsburgh Steelers were gift-wrapped a win against the Tennesse Titans in Week 15, I can’t pretend to be pleased with the performance I recently witnessed. Mike Tomlin’s team was a mess offensively, and the defense still couldn’t stop a nosebleed.
There are some positives to take away from this contest, but more causes for concern have arisen than anything else. Here are my four biggest takeaways from the Steelers narrow victory over the Titans:
T.J. Watt gets held… a lot
Let’s start on a positive note. T.J. Watt clearly needs no explanation, as his impact on the team is undeniable. With this win over Tennessee, the Steelers are now 7-2 on the season when Watt plays at least 40 defensive snaps, and they are just 0-4-1 when he plays under 40 snaps, via Pro Football Reference.
Watt was clearly giving the Titans fits in Week 15 as Ryan Tannehill was under constant duress. After earning his 17th sack of the season in this contest, Watt surpassed James Harrison on the Steelers all-time single-season sack record.
It was also evident that Watt is being held all the time. This isn’t just a cliche. I counted two blatant holding calls that were somehow missed in this one, with other questionable calls in between. On one occasion, Watt rushed to the quarterback two offensive linemen wrapped around his waist, Red Rover style, and still didn’t get the call. I watch a lot of NFL games, and this man has to be the most frequently held player in all of football.