Steelers' Teryl Austin Sends A Spirited Message To The NFL About TJ Watt Being Held Every Play

The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off their first loss of the 2024 season, a 27-24 defeat to the Indianapolis Colts. The main concern in the game was the unexpected collapse of what had been the league's best defense. Early on, the Steelers' defense was exposed, allowing Pittsburgh to fall behind 17-0.

While the defense improved in the second half, managing to slow down the Colts' offense, it was far from the dominant unit Steeler Nation had witnessed in the first three weeks of the season. For the first time this year, fans noticed a lack of impact from star linebacker TJ Watt. Without Alex Highsmith, who missed the game, Watt had a more challenging task.

During the game, Steelers fans took to social media, pointing out that Watt was being held on nearly every play. This is nothing new for Watt or Steelers fans—holding happens on nearly every snap involving him. However, it’s difficult for officials to call holding on every play, especially since Watt's unique pass-rush moves often make it harder to call. Nevertheless, there’s been growing frustration about the unfair treatment Watt seems to receive from referees.

Steelers Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin addressed the situation while speaking with Ray Fittipaldo, sharing his thoughts on how Watt is being officiated.

"The great pass rushers get held. They'll hold him this week. We have to fight through that because that's out of our control. There is nothing we can do about that. We let New York take care of that."

Austin delivered a strong message to the NFL regarding the lack of holding calls against Watt, but he acknowledges that nothing is likely to change. He doesn't want the focus to be on officiating, as he views it as an excuse. Instead, Austin believes that Watt and the defense need to fight through the holding that goes uncalled.

Throughout his career, Watt has been a dominant force in getting to the quarterback. Few players have matched his ability to pressure and bring down the QB as consistently as Watt. With 99.5 career sacks already, that number is certain to climb even higher as his career progresses.

The Steelers defense faced a controversial moment during the Colts game when Minkah Fitzpatrick was flagged for unnecessary roughness on a hit against Adonai Mitchell. Immediately, the broadcast team, rules analyst, and fans on social media criticized the officiating for the questionable call. 

Mike Tomlin later revealed that he heard from the NFL’s headquarters in New York, admitting they were wrong about that call. However, there was no mention of the missed holding penalties on Watt.

Based on Austin’s comments on Thursday, it seems possible that the missed holding calls on Watt were also discussed by New York. Regardless, it’s clear that Watt isn’t receiving the same treatment as other superstar pass rushers. That makes his production even more impressive, as he continues to rack up sacks despite being held so frequently.

Steelers' TJ Watt And Company Will Look To Bounce Back At Home In Week 5

The Steelers defense, along with Watt, will aim for a strong bounce-back performance Sunday night at home against the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys offense is led by quarterback Dak Prescott and star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. The Pittsburgh defense will be challenged big time. If they are able to slow down Lamb and Prescott then it'll be a big redemption moment.

After being exposed by the Colts, some believe the defense may have started believing its own hype a bit too much. Now, they have a chance to redeem themselves against a solid Cowboys offense in front of their home crowd.

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