Though his team came up short, Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle and former Clemson star Dexter Lawrence enjoyed a highly productive individual performance on Sunday in Week 3 of the NFL season.

In the Bengals’ 30-27 loss to the division-rival Pittsburgh Steelers, Lawrence was a major bright spot for an otherwise struggling Cincinnati defense.

Lawrence consistently wreaked havoc on the interior line, bringing down Pittsburgh quarterback Aaron Rodgers for two sacks – Lawrence’s first sacks in a Bengals uniform — and breaking out his trademark “Sexy Dexy” celebration in the process.

Lawrence, who was traded to Cincinnati from the New York Giants this past offseason, finished with four total tackles (three solo), three tackles for loss, two quarterback hits and the pair of sacks.

Despite Lawrence’s dominant performance, the Bengals’ defense had a rough day overall, allowing 411 total yards to Pittsburgh. Rodgers passed for 292 yards and three touchdowns while Jaylen Warren ran for 127 yards (7.5 yards per carry on 17 carries).

The Bengals fell to 2-1 on the season and will try to bounce back when they host Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars next Sunday in Week 4.

“We own it. We know who we are,” Lawrence said of his message to the defense after Sunday’s loss, as a leader of the unit. “We’re 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,” Lawrence added. “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.”

After requesting a trade following a contract impasse with the Giants, Lawrence was dealt from New York to Cincinnati in April in exchange for the No. 10 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro signed a one-year, $28 million contract extension, keeping him with the Bengals through the 2028 season.

Lawrence spent his first seven NFL seasons with the Giants from 2019-25 after being selected by New York in the first round (17th overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft. During his time there, he racked up 341 total tackles, 40 tackles for loss and 30.5 sacks.