Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker TJ Watt channels his inner “Waterboy” Bobby Boucher while co-starring brothers JJ and Derek in a new TV spot for Old El Paso.
Watt’s ability to break through his personality remains to be seen. It stands to reason that, like classic icon Adam Sandler, Watt’s youngest brother can mutter “stop teasing” before picking on would-be bullies.
Watt enters Saturday’s AFC Wild Card Game in Baltimore without a win in four postseason games, helping to prove he loves his teammates even in dire circumstances. The Steelers have not won in the playoffs since reaching the conference championship game after the 2016 season. Watt arrived the following year and seemed to be the voice in the locker room for the dissatisfaction with Pittsburgh’s playoff loss.
“It wasn’t a secret from the beginning,” Watt said.
Counterpart’s Lindsey Wilhite wrote this week that the Detroit Lions face the most pressure of the 14 NFL playoff teams. The Steelers are definitely chasing their Rust Belt brethren somewhere near the front of the line.
Fueled by a reinvigorated quarterback, Russell Wilson, and a rejuvenated defense, Pittsburgh closed the gap after a 3-2 start with a 7-1 run that vaulted the Steelers to the top of the AFC North standings. . An 18-16 home win against the Ravens in Week 11 gave Pittsburgh a two-game lead in the loss column.
With the end of the regular season looming, securing the AFC’s No. 2 seed seemed realistic. All the preseason chatter about simply fixing the QB inconsistency and letting the rushing attack and veteran “D” do what they had to do was coming true.
The Steelers then emulated the hypothetical SCLSU Mad Dogs from before Boucher, losing by a combined 50 points to Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Kansas City. The game against Cincinnati in Week 18 was a close 19-17, but the result was still a loss.
Wilson started in relief of a rising Justin Fields and averaged 28 points and 372 yards per game in his first seven games, but his offense slumped to 14 points and 259 yards in the last four games. did.
Pittsburgh’s defense also regressed, allowing 381 yards per game and forcing just five turnovers over the last four games.
All of this combined to cause the Steelers to suffer a four-game losing streak to end the regular season for the first time since 1998, when “The Waterboy” was released.
“I think everyone in this room wants that.” Pittsburgh linebacker Alex Highsmith said.. “That’s the only way we can move forward and get better.”
Saturday will be a chance to reverse a painful pattern against a familiar opponent. Pittsburgh had won seven of eight games against Baltimore before the Ravens defeated the Steelers 34-17 in Week 16 and took control of the division with Lamar Jackson’s three touchdown passes. Each meeting was decided by seven points or less.
Baltimore limited Watt to one sack, two quarterback hits and two tackles during the regular season. Watt has only one playoff sack in his career.
“There’s still a lot of time left,” Watt said. “But there’s definitely an urgency to win. Nobody likes losing.”
Kicker Chris Boswell and defensive tackle Cam Heyward are the only Steelers to win a playoff game.
Pittsburgh needs to start producing to flip the script, as Watt’s latest commercial is sure to be on a permanent loop throughout the postseason.
