PITTSBURGH − Cincinnati Bengals star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II received his first taste of his new team's white-hot rivalry with the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was a game he probably won't want to remember because of the outcome, but he seemed to thrive on the stage.
Lawrence looked right at home at Acrisure Stadium on Sept. 27 amidst the boos raining down from the grandstands, jawing with Steelers players and finding ways to impact the eventual 30-27 Bengals loss.
Lawrence logged two sacks of Pittsburgh quarterback Aaron Rodgers. He totaled three tackles for losses and had four combined tackles overall.
The Bengals' defensive game-wrecker also unleashed his signature dance − the "Sexy Dexy" − after hauling down Rodgers in the fourth quarter.
But that didn't mean Lawrence was pleased with his first trip to Pittsburgh as a Cincinnati player.
"We own it. We know who we are," Lawrence said. "We still champions, and we're gonna prepare next week like champions, and we're gonna go out there and beat whoever we’ve got to play. … I know who we are. I know the men we have in here. I have no doubt that we're gonna come to practice next week and be locked in and eliminate mistakes and correct the ones we made. Yeah, I think a lot of what was going on was self-inflicted."
The Bengals dropped to 2-1 with the loss to the Steelers and allowed an eye-popping 411 yards after impressive defensive performances by Lawrence and the defense in the first two games of the season.
Cincinnati hosts the Jacksonville Jaguars on Oct. 4 (1 p.m. EDT).
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Dexter Lawrence got his first taste of the Bengals-Steelers rivalry
