The Pittsburgh Steelers got an instrumental victory on Thursday by sneaking away with another win. Pittsburgh's defense held up in the big moments against the Tennessee Titans, with rookie quarterback Will Levis making his first road start, to win 20-16. Rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr. asked the coaching staff earlier in the week about taking on a matchup with Titans' number one receiver and three-time First Team All-Pro DeAndre Hopkins and he excelled for the most part to help Pittsburgh secure victory.
Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers CB Joey Porter Jr. getting the home crowd hype at Acrisure Stadium in 2023.
A week after Levis connected with Hopkins on four passes for 128 yards and three scores, Porter came in and shut down the 2013 first-round pick by the Houston Texans. On 11 targets against Pittsburgh, Hopkins recorded four catches for 60 yards and no scores. Veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson had heard the game plan to have Porter shadow Hopkins potentially and told his podcast co-host and former Steelers' cornerback Bryant McFadden on a recent episode of All Thing Covered that he was extremely glad to see him get the chance and then shine.
"If you want to set yourself apart from others, you look those matchups in the eye," he said. "That's how you gain the respect of your peers because you're running to the challenge, not from it. I was just extremely proud of him to have that opportunity."
Peterson said that he's been telling Porter since Organized Team Activities back in June that someday the car was going to be his to drive and that the coaches were going to be handing him the keys at some point. It's taken some time for Porter to get into a starting position with the ability to shadow some of the top receivers, but he's grabbed a hold of it with his continued strong play.
Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and safety Damontae Kazee combine to make a tackle against the Tennessee Titans during a Week 9 Thursday Night Football matchup.
While a lot of things went well for Porter in his defense of Hopkins, he also had moments that showed he's still a rookie and is still learning what he can and can't do at the NFL level. Porter picked up flags for a facemask, defensive offside, and illegal use of hands on the Titans' first drive which helped them move the ball down to get a field goal to make the game 7-3.
The biggest penalty that Porter took on Thursday though came in the fourth quarter on the Titans' final offensive possession. Porter got a grab of Hopkins's jersey on a fourth and seven play that had Pittsburgh made the stop, the game was likely over. Instead, the Titans got a fresh set of downs, and linebacker Kwon Alexander had to seal the game with an interception of Levis in the end zone with :11 seconds left.
Porter came to the Steelers with a reputation in college for being handsy which resulted in him being flagged 10 times in his final season at Penn State. As Head Coach Mike Tomlin likes to say, "'Woah' rather than 'Sick 'em,'" in this case, Porter is already incredibly physical, so he needs to find a balance between being a tough shutdown corner and not drawing too many flags.
Steelers' Peterson Offered Bits Of Advise Before Porter's Big Moment
When the Steelers brought Peterson in during the 2023 free agency period, part of the reason was to be a mentor to the younger players. Porter hadn't been drafted yet, but were very excited to have both working together when they did land Porter with the 32nd pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. gets some tips from veteran Patrick Peterson during the 2023 training camp.
Peterson has some experience covering Hopkins of his own and said he offered some helpful little tips throughout the week to help Porter prepare for the matchup. In Hopkins's rookie season, his Texans visited Peterson's Arizona Cardinals and led the team with 69 receiving yards, but didn't find the end zone. In their second matchup, Hopkins caught four balls for 76 yards and a score.
The two became teammates for a season after the Texans dealt Hopkins to the Cardinals in March of 2020. They met twice more after being on the same roster, playing against each other after Peterson became a member of the Minnesota Vikings.
"He's a very physical receiver and he's going to hand fight you all the way down the field," he said of Hopkins. "He'll try to grab the top of a defensive back's shoulder pads at the top of his routes. So, I was telling him [Porter] he's got to be very stern and physical with punches in the shoulders."
Porter still has a ways to go, but with each performance, he continues to improve. It helps that he's got a potential future Hall of Famer in Peterson gifting him tips along the way.
What did you think of Porter's play against the Titans? How important do you think it is for Porter and the other young corners to have Peterson around? Comment below!
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