Postgame comments can stir up a rivalry long after the final whistle. Winning teams usually take the high road, but some players cannot resist adding a jab, especially after a week full of trash talk from the other side. In this rivalry, those jabs tend to stick around. One Steelers defender delivered one on Sunday.
Jaquan Brisker was asked about the roughing the passer penalty he drew for a hit on Deshaun Watson on the game’s opening drive.
“Babying the quarterback. He’s over there crying or whatever he’s doing. It is what it is. He had his binky today, so,” Brisker said.
Jaquan Brisker on getting flagged for roughing the passer for his hit on Deshaun Watson on the opening drive of Steelers/Browns
"Babying the quarterback. He's over there crying or whatever he's doing. It is what it is."
"He had his binky today, so." pic.twitter.com/6epqtF60Zd
— Ashley Wenskoski (@AshleyWenskTV) November 1, 2026
The hit itself was not minor. Watson was evaluated for a concussion after the play.
Deshaun Watson is being evaluated for a concussion after this tough hit that drew a roughing the passer penalty pic.twitter.com/sTnCgrh7zZ
— The Goal Line Grind (@theGLgrind) November 1, 2026
Shedeur Sanders made a brief appearance early in the game, and he completed both of his passes for 2 yards. Watson was cleared and returned, finishing 27 of 39 for 323 yards without an interception, his 2nd straight 300-yard game.
Brisker’s comments are a familiar type of jab at quarterbacks who draw roughing penalties, but mocking a player who was being checked for a head injury means the hit was not clean. The NFL has strengthened its rules and its concussion protocol for exactly this reason, and officials are told to throw the flag when a hit on a defenseless quarterback crosses the line.
His remark also contrasts with how Watson handled the rest of the afternoon. Despite being sacked 8 times, he put the blame on himself afterward, saying he will always take responsibility for sacks. Calling him a crybaby does not fit a quarterback who stayed in the game and kept absorbing hits.
The penalty did not help Cleveland much in the end. The Browns turned the ball over on each of their first 2 drives, and Pittsburgh took control from there in a 27-6 win.
Brisker’s jab is another sign of how heated this rivalry got this season. Jared Verse spent the week calling out Pittsburgh’s blockers, Asante Samuel Jr. said there would be no talking on Sunday, and Verse said after the game that he had no respect for Mason McCormick’s body slam on a Steelers kick.
The season series is split, and the Steelers now lead the AFC North. Comments like Brisker’s will not be forgotten when the teams meet again next year. Before then, Watson and the Browns have to regroup quickly for a trip to New Orleans.
NEXT: Jared Verse Says He Has No Respect For One Steelers Player
