Steelers Rookie Joey Porter Jr. Convinced Coaching Staff To Let Him Shadow Titans' DeAndre Hopkins

The Pittsburgh Steelers escaped Acrisure Stadium with a close 20-16 victory over the Tennessee Titans on Thursday Night Football. It wasn't anything that fans didn't expect. The offense struggled for the most part besides a first drive touchdown, the defense made enough stops throughout and Kenny Pickett led the sixth fourth quarter game-winning drive of his career which was enough to come out on top. The defense has a tall task is stopping Derrick Henry while also needing to be cognizant of future Hall of Fame candidate, wide receiver, DeAndre Hopkins.

Hopkins ended up grabbing four catches for 60 yards, but was kept in check for the most part. He was coming off of a game where he and rookie quarterback, Will Levis connected for three touchdowns. The duo didn't have as much success against the Steelers and Pittsburgh's own rookie, Joey Porter Jr. was a huge reason for that.

Talking to the media in the locker room after the game, Porter Jr. said that it was his idea to shadow Hopkins throughout the game. He knows that's the kind of player he needs to go up against to get better.

"On Tuesday I went to Coach T and I told him I want 10. Like that's what I was looking for. I don't really hide from nothing so that's the matchup I wanted. That's the matchup I need."

Porter Jr. may have been flagged a few times during the matchup, including a crucial mistake in the fourth quarter, but some of the best cornerbacks in the league are known to be overwhelmingly aggressive. The rookie had himself a solid game.

Pittsburgh is going to be in great hands if Porter Jr. continues to mature as a professional and show that he has what it takes to lock down some of the NFL's best wide receivers.

While he had the confidence that he would be able to shut down Hopkins and not allow too many big plays, the coaching staff, including Head Coach, Mike Tomlin, appreciated the enthusiasm, but no one was sold on the idea midweek.

"He didn't really say yes Tuesday. He was like 'we gonna think about it' because they were like 'that's kind of crazy', but throughout the week it was like 'alright, we gonna let you get 10 on some reps."

The plan was to play it by ear and that's exactly what the Steelers did. After the coaching staff saw that he was doing a solid job against Hopkins, his midweek request to be on him was granted.

"Then, throughout the game it was like 'you just go where 10 at.'"

Hopkins isn't what he used to be, but he was coming off of an incredible 128-yard game with three scores. The chemistry between he and Levis was undeniable, but it was the rookie in Porter Jr. who performed in a big way on primetime football. Pittsburgh may have found themselves a great second-round pick thanks to former wide receiver, Chase Claypool.

Steelers Rookies Prove To Make Huge Difference On Thursday Night Football

Pittsburgh had two rookies in the starting lineup and they were both major contributors against the Titans. Broderick Jones and Porter Jr. both were called for penalties that fortunately didn't result in a Steelers loss, but both sides of the ball had a different positive vibe to them. The run game had a dominating performance with 166 yards and Jones was a big part of that. Porter Jr. held Hopkins in check which was critical with Minkah Fitzpatrick out.

Are you surprised that Porter Jr. requested to shadow Hopkins? Let us know in the comments below!

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