Going into Sunday night against the Las Vegas Raiders, the main man to account for in the passing game for Las Vegas was WR Davante Adams. After the first two regular-season games, there was room for concern regarding how Pittsburgh planned on slowing down the All-Pro wide receiver with its two starting outside corners having notable issues in coverage. CB Levi Wallace got picked on last week by WR Amari Cooper and the Cleveland Browns while CB Patrick Peterson had a tough day at the office against San Francisco 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk in the Steelers’ season opener.
Adams ended up having a day against the Steelers, catching 13 passes on 20 targets for 172 yards and two touchdowns. However, the cornerbacks managed to make some splash of their own as Wallace picked off QB Jimmy Garoppolo twice while Peterson nabbed an interception as well. Multiple takeaways for the defense included the game-sealing interception by Wallace late in the fourth quarter.
Head coach Mike Tomlin was asked about his corners’ play after the 23-18 win. Tomlin mentioned that despite Adams having quite the day at the office, his cover men did what was necessary to put Pittsburgh in position to win in the end.
“They made the necessary plays, man,” Tomlin told the media via video from the Steelers’ YouTube channel. “They were competitive. Obviously can’t say enough about Adams, man and his talents and their willingness and ability to get him the ball. It was a challenge tonight.”
Obviously, Tomlin isn’t going to be happy about having a receiver that his defense held to just two catches for 15 yards last year go for 172 yards and two touchdowns tonight. However, Tomlin did mention that both Wallace and Peterson made the necessary plays to secure victory, making some splash plays themselves to get the ball back to the offense.
While the turnovers are much appreciated and helped seal the victory, both Wallace and Peterson need to start playing better throughout games as they try and keep the opposing team’s top receiving options in check. It’s been a mixed bag of results thus far in 2023, and the cornerbacks will need to be more consistent moving forward to complement Pittsburgh’s dangerous pass rush.
