When TJ Watt Tackled Joe Flacco: A Friendly Explainer

What Happened on the Field

Imagine two big teams playing a game of American football. On November (last year, 2025), the Pittsburgh Steelers played the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 11 of the NFL (the big professional football league in the U.S.). The game was at the Steelers’ home stadium called Acrisure Stadium.

• During the second quarter (that’s like the second part of the game), a Steelers player named TJ Watt (he tries to stop the other team’s thrower) tackled the Bengals’ quarterback (the main thrower) named Joe Flacco.
• The referees (the officials who watch the game) said Watt did something naughty: they called it "roughing the passer." That means they thought he hit the thrower too roughly after the throw.
• Because of that call, Watt got a penalty (a kind of "time-out" punishment for his team).
• The fans sitting in the stadium (the home crowd) were not happy about the flag (the yellow cloth the ref throws to show a penalty).
• A CBS rules expert named Gene Steratore also said he thought it was a bad call (meaning the ref maybe made a mistake).

What Did Flacco Say?

After the game, Flacco talked to reporters (people who write about sports). He said:

"That’s football. He did a good job. He buried me in the turf."
(That means: this kind of hit is normal in football, and Watt pushed him into the ground.)

Later, Flacco said even more in Season 3 of a Netflix show called "Quarterback" (a TV series that follows football throwers):

"Man, he f—ed me up. He knew what he was doing, too. He was like, ‘I’ve got a chance to hit him here. I’m gonna take full advantage. … But that’s football. That’s the Steelers defense."

In simple words: Flacco said Watt really knocked him hard, and Watt probably meant to do it, but that’s just how the Steelers’ team plays defense.

Another Bengals Quarterback Chimed In

In June 2026, another Bengals quarterback named Joe Burrow said he didn’t think he would watch Flacco on that Netflix show.

Picture of the Moment

There is a photo from November 2025 showing Watt knocking down Flacco during that game. It helps you see the tackle we are talking about.

Want to watch the show or other fun stuff? You can stream your favorite shows and movies online (that means watching through the internet).

Important Point

Remember: The penalty call was argued by fans and a TV rules expert as possibly wrong, but Flacco himself said the hit was just normal football and even joked about it later on TV.

Summary

To wrap it up:

• In November 2025, TJ Watt tackled Joe Flacco and got a roughing-the-passer penalty.
• Fans and a CBS analyst thought the penalty was a bad call.
• Flacco said the hit was "football" and later said on Netflix that Watt meant to do it.
• In June 2026, Joe Burrow said he probably wouldn’t watch Flacco’s Netflix season.
• A photo shows the tackle from that game.

FAQ

1. What does "roughing the passer" mean?
It means a defender hit the quarterback too hard or after they already threw the ball, which is not allowed.

2. Who is TJ Watt?
He is a linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers, a player whose job is to stop the other team, including tackling the quarterback.

3. What is the Netflix show "Quarterback"?
It is a TV series that follows NFL quarterbacks during their season, showing what happens on and off the field.

4. Why were fans upset about the penalty?
Because they were at the Steelers’ home game and thought the ref made a mistake by penalizing Watt for a normal football hit.