Steelers defensive superstar T.J. Watt was held in the most obvious fashion by some jabroni offensive lineman late in last Sunday’s 28-27 victory over Washington at Northwest Stadium.

Since the most obvious hold occurred in the Commanders’ end zone, Pittsburgh should have been awarded two points and won the game by a score of 30-27. Write your local congressperson.

Seriously, suppose you didn’t know any better and spent all week on Twitter (currently known as X) watching various fans and media members post and re-post All-22 footage of Watt being held on that particular play. In that case, you might have concluded that Pittsburgh actually lost the game.

Watt is a great defensive player. He’s often unstoppable. He has a habit of wrecking games, especially at key moments. He has a career stat line that includes 103 quarterback sacks, 214 quarterback hits and 31 forced fumbles. He’s won one Defensive Player of the Year award (seven when you adjust for Steeler fans’ insistence that he should have all of them). He likely has another DPOY or two in his future before he hangs up his cleats. Watt is a four-time First-Team All-Pro. He’s going to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on his first try. He may even win a playoff game and make it to and win a Super Bowl before all is said and done.

Newsflash: Watt is special and unique, but you know what isn’t special and unique? Watt being held a lot, like almost all the time.

Dominant defenders get held, water is wet, and Mean Joe Greene wants to know why Watt hasn’t tried punching offensive linemen in the n… never mind.

Anyway, Greene got held all the time. Dick Butkus got held all the time. Deacon Jones got held all the time. Alan Page got held all the time. Randy White got held all the time. Reggie White got held all the time.

In more recent Steelers history, James Harrison, the 2008 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, got held all the time.

Not only do great defenders get held all the time, but mediocre defenders get held all the time. Hell, today’s offensive linemen hold on every single play. It’s baked right into their technique. They literally grab the other guy’s jersey. I mean, you can see it.

It’s life in the NFL.

I know what you’re going to say: Times are different, and these officials should be better than they were during Mean Joe’s day. Maybe you’re right, but holding isn’t open to instant replay. You combine that with the reality that grabbing is, again, baked into a modern lineman’s technique, and what are game-day officials supposed to do, call holding on every single play? What would that solve? Every contest would last nine hours and end zero to zero.

You already refuse to read four-minute articles about the NFL. How can the league expect you to sit through a nine-hour game that ends in a scoreless tie?

Guess what? If offensive linemen used the techniques they were taught prior to the late ’70s, every game probably would end in a zero-to-zero tie.

That would suck.

No, the NFL has it right. Call offensive linemen for holding T.J. Watt sometimes but not all the time.

He still gets his sacks and game-wrecking moments. Opposing quarterbacks get to keep their health. Fans get to spend the entire week complaining about it on social media.

Everybody wins…especially the offensive linemen’s n….never mind.