The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Baltimore Ravens in Week 5 in an unconventional game. The Steelers scored 17 points on a safety, three Chris Boswell field goals, and a 41-yard strike from Kenny Pickett to George Pickens. The Steelers did everything they could to give the game away. The Ravens dropped multiple passes, and trailing 10-8, Gunner Olszewski fumbled the ball away.
Inside The NFL / The CW Network
Steelers' Joey Porter Jr. addresses the media after Steelers 17-10 victory fueled by his key interception.
It looked bleak for the Steelers. Fans did not start the “Cut Gunner” chant, but it would be hard to find anyone outside of the coaching staff, who does not hold that sentiment in Pittsburgh. Maybe they are keeping him around to take the heat off Matt Canada at this point. The defense strode back onto the field with a rookie cornerback in tow, determined to fight their way out of yet another hole.
Inside The NFL / The CW Network
Pittsburgh Steelers rookie Joey Porter Jr. comments about his first NFL interception to teammates.
Joey Porter Jr. was given the task of covering Odell Beckham Jr. after the Steelers had held the Ravens on first and second down. The very real possibility of keeping the game within reach by forcing a field goal was still in play. Lamar Jackson looked over the Steelers defense and decided to target the rookie. It was a big mistake. Beckham is a shadow of his former self, and Porter was prepared for the moment. Inside The NFL, which now appears on the CW Network, captured his first NFL interception.
“I was like, go ahead and run that,” Porter said on the bench. “I already knew what was coming.”
The Steelers offense has come under heavy fire for being predictable. It has almost become a running joke amongst commentators like ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky, the NFL Network’s Steve Smith, and two-thirds of the Killer B's, to name just a very few. A veteran quarterback picking on a cornerback who has never started a game is not exactly high-level espionage uncovering state secrets. Especially when you line up the only receiver who had not dropped a pass against him.
“Odell, I strapped his old a**,” Porter smiled on the sideline. “I told him.”
Few players in the history of the Steelers could talk trash like Joey Porter Sr. in his prime. He was an emotional powder keg who was adept at provoking opponents into mistakes. It looks like the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. A little pre-play trash talk before physically dominating the older version of a once-great player and coming away with an interception is on brand for the Porter family.
"Just happy to be able to make a play for this team at a crucial moment of the game," Porter said in front of his locker afterward. "I just really put myself in the Steelers-Baltimore rivalry. I'm happy. I already had it in the back of my mind they are going to try me on this play."
Steelers LB Joey Porter Sr. Admits He Absolutely Wanted His Son To End Up In Pittsburgh
Porter Jr. demonstrated after the game he was able to be magnanimous and show respect to the Ravens. A pre-draft rumor surfaced that the Ravens were seriously considering drafting the former Penn State product and forcing his dad to switch sides in the heated rivalry. Thankfully, neither came to pass for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
"You listen to Joey Porter Jr. say he strapped Odell Beckham," Ryan Clark said during the panel discussion when he spoke over an objecting Chad Ochocinco. "He said he strapped him. It looked strapalicious, at least at that moment."
The Steelers were predicted by many to finish in last place in the AFC North. The Ravens were preseason darlings with the addition of Beckham Jr. and Zay Flowers to Mark Andrews and Rashod Bateman. Beckham Jr. is clearly not the player he was at this point and appears to have lost a step after multiple knee injuries. He was also seen heading to the locker room briefly earlier in the game with a suspected lower body injury (which may have also hindered his performance throughout the game). It is the way of professional sports. A young lion displaced the old lion on the goal line of Acrisure Stadium in Week 5.
Associated Press
Steelers defensive coordinator, Teryl Austin.
Teryl Austin has refused to commit to Porter Jr. starting against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 7. The refusal to play the rookie who was the highest-graded cornerback by the dubious graders at Pro Football Focus in Week 5 is a poor decision. Porter Jr. could very well find himself in the starting lineup soon, but Austin's deficiencies are being covered up by the sheer venom reserved for Canada.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Are you happy to see Porter Jr. engaging his mouth, as well as his talent on the football field? Please comment below, or on my Twitter/X: @thebubbasq.
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