Pittsburgh Steelers CB Levi Wallace has been criticized for his play the last couple of weeks, having looked outmatched against the Cleveland Browns in a tough performance against WR Amari Cooper and taking his lumps on Sunday night against All-Pro WR Davante Adams.
However, Wallace did have a notable positive impact on the game as well on Sunday night, having a couple key pass deflections as well as two interceptions, including one at the end of the game that sealed the Steelers’ victory on the road in Las Vegas.
Teammate CB Patrick Peterson spoke about Wallace’s game-winning interception with former Steelers CB Bryant McFadden on the All Things Covered podcast Tuesday, stating that Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo gave Wallace an early Christmas present with the game on the line.
“On the last play of the game, man, he got him a gift on that one,” Peterson said about Wallace’s second pick on All Things Covered, which aired on the show’s YouTube channel. “I take all the gifts in the National Football league that I can get. I don’t know what Jimmy Garoppolo was thinking on that one. I thought he was throwing it out of bounds, honestly. But he threw it in the field of play and Levi made a heads-up play by obviously not only picking it off but by keeping two feet inbounds to end the game.”
Going back and watching the tape, there is no denying that Wallace was gift-wrapped quite the present from Garoppolo. He airmailed the pass over Adams’ head but still kept the ball in play for Wallace to come down, leap up in the air, and make the pick with both feet inbounds.
If not for the interceptions, Wallace likely would have been in the doghouse for a second-straight week as the combination of Adams and WR Jakobi Meyers tested him throughout Sunday’s contest, exposing him at different points throughout the game. However, the universe gives you opportunities every once in a while, and Wallace capitalized on the opportunities given to him in this matchup. It was a poor decision by Garoppolo, who was obviously pressing with little time left on the clock and Las Vegas needing a touchdown. He ended up making a bad decision, throwing the ball up for grabs. Wallace capitalized on it, securing the turnover along with the win.
As mentioned in a film room done on Wallace’s performance on Sunday night, he got tested a lot and got burned several times, but he did manage to rebound and make some big plays in crucial moments of the game. Wallace isn’t going to be a team’s No. 1 cornerback who matches up well with No. 1 wide receivers from other teams, being that he lacks the top-end athleticism to consistently cover the best in the game. However, he is a smart, experienced veteran who can make plays, qualities that Peterson sees and praised him for after Sunday night’s performance.
“Levi had an awesome game,” Peterson said. “A tremendous player. Happy that I’m a part of this team with him because he’s just like me. He loves the game so much. He dedicates all of his time to the game to make sure that we get that positive outcome that we want on game day.”
