The Houston Texans dropped their 11th game of the season on Sunday, a 37-31 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in which Houston gave up 540 total yards, and J.J. Watt was not pleased with the effort.
During a post-game call with reporters, the three-time defensive player of the year went on a rant in which he called out the Texans for the team’s effort.
“If you can’t come in and put work in in the building, go out to the practice field and work hard, do your lifts and do what you’re supposed to do, you should not be here. This is a job. We are getting paid a whole lot of money,” Watt said when asked about how the Texans will regroup ahead of the final week of the season. “There are a lot of people that watch us and invest their time and their money into buying our jerseys and buying a whole bunch of [expletive], and they care about it. They care every single week.
“We’re in Week 16 and we’re 4-11, and there’s fans that watch this game, that show up to the stadium that put in time and energy and effort, and care about this. So if you can’t go out there and you can’t work out, you can’t show up on time, you can’t practice, you can’t want to go out there and win, you shouldn’t be here because this is a privilege.”
The Texans have now lost four straight games and are in the midst of their worst season since 2017, when then-rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson suffered a season-ending knee injury mid-way through the campaign.
As Houston gets set to play its final game of the season with the chances of playoff football far in the rear-view mirror, Watt says it’s the dedicated Texans fans he feels most for as 2020 winds down for his team.
“That’s who I feel the most bad for is our fans and the people who care so deeply, and the city, and the people who love it and who truly want it to be great. And it’s not. And that sucks as a player – to know that we’re not giving them what they deserve.”
Watt and the Texans finish the 2020 regular season at home next Sunday against AFC South division rival Tennessee Titans.
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