Joey Porter Jr. Says He Requested To Cover 1 Titans WR
The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Tennessee Titans on Thursday Night Football, stopping a red-hot team in their tracks.
The Titans were on a roll, excited to see what rookie quarterback Will Levis could do after a four-touchdown week in his debut.
However, the Steelers’ defense had other plans, limiting Levis to 262 passing yards, no touchdowns, and one interception.
Joey Porter Jr. had a large hand in the Steelers’ success, covering DeAndre Hopkins most of the game.
This plan was pre-meditated, as Porter asked Mike Tomlin if he could be the one in charge of Hopkins before the game started.
As Porter said via Mike Garafolo and Dov Kleiman, “That’s the matchup I want, that’s the matchup I need.”
After catching three touchdown passes last week, Hopkins was limited to four catches and 60 yards against the Titans.
However, this wasn’t Porter’s doing.
He didn’t cover Hopkins for the entire night, which explains his four receptions
As Kleiman points out, the receivers Porter was guarding received seven targets in this game.
He only allowed one of those targets to materialize into a reception, and he also added three tackles and a defended pass.
This was a breakout game for this rookie cornerback who came into the league with high expectations.
If he can lock down a veteran like Hopkins, there’s no telling what his career might look like in the future.
The Steelers’ defense is seemingly getting back to what it once was, and Porter seems to be a part of their plans going forward.
