The Pittsburgh Steelers went into halftime of the Week 1 game trailing the Atlanta Falcons 10-9, but that wouldn't have been the case if star edge rusher T.J. Watt wasn't flagged for an offsides penalty that negated a strip sack.
The play happened in the second quarter and saw Watt get off the line in a hurry. He was able to get to Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins and recorded a strip sack that he also recovered.
However, Watt was flagged for an offsides on the play, which negated the turnover and ultimately allowed the Falcons to score a touchdown two plays later. It looked like Watt simply timed the snap perfectly, but we'll let you be the judge.
This is tremendous snap anticipation & get off from TJ Watt here. Doesn’t look offsides to me here 👀 pic.twitter.com/ENVXc08533
— Alex King (@AKing_Evals) September 8, 2024
After the series was over, Watt was HOT on the sideline and let the officials know he was none-too-pleased with their call. He was also pleading his case to head coach Mike Tomlin, who likely agreed with him.
DAMN: TJ WATT WENT OFF ON THE REFS AFTER A BAD OFFSIDES PENALTY TOOK AWAY A #STEELER STRIP SACK pic.twitter.com/N5tHyJAxt4
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) September 8, 2024
That wasn't the only questionable call against the Steelers in the first half, as wide receiver George Pickens was flagged for an offensive pass interference that was pretty weak.
They called this OPI on Pickens. SMH #Steelers #NFL pic.twitter.com/3r2412neOQ
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) September 8, 2024
Pittsburgh's pass-rush came close to getting to Cousins a few times in the first half but ultimately couldn't bring him down for any sacks. Even still, the Falcons couldn't get much going over the first two quarters.
