To be the best, you gotta beat the best. Joey Porter Jr. isn’t scared of a challenge. Through two weeks, he and the Pittsburgh Steelers have faced talented wide receivers in Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, and Amari Cooper. But they’ll face someone better than all three of them Sunday night in Las Vegas Raiders wideout Davante Adams, who remains not only one of the game’s top route runners but one of its best receivers.
For Porter, who has only played on passing downs, it’s a matchup he embraces. Speaking to the media Friday afternoon, he hopes to see Adams in Week Three.
“I’ve been watching Davante Adams for a long time,” he said via Steelers.com. “He’s a great wide receiver. He’s done a lot to this game so the fact that I get to line up across from him and get to show my talent, it’s gonna be great. I’m not ducking no work at all so it’s gonna be fun.”
Adams is a six-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro who has registered at least 1,300 yards in each of his last three seasons. Last year, he caught exactly 100 passes for more than 1,500 yards and a league-leading 14 touchdowns. He has size, hands, and is a savvy route runner able to get into cornerback’s blindspots with a potent release package off the line.
Porter is coming off a solid outing in Monday night’s win over the Cleveland Browns. He doubled his snap count from his Week One debut, logging 14 against the Browns, and made pivotal plays in key moments. That included a third and long breakup in the first half, showing off his long 34-inch arms to break up a sideline throw, and a fourth down incompletion that sealed the Steelers’ win.
Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin did not promise more playing time but left the door open. Another good performance against Adams and company could compel the Steelers to give Porter more time.
“Just keep gaining my confidence and I’ll be ready,” Porter said.
In the regular season, Porter has exclusively been a left cornerback and he saw most of his summer snaps aligned there. Meaning, the Raiders will dictate matchups and how often Porter goes against him. But odds are good Porter will matchup on Adams in some situations. The fact Porter only plays in these passing downs means he plays in high-leverage moments where every play can be core to the outcome of the game.
Even when Porter isn’t on Adams, the Raiders will be getting back WR Jakobi Meyers, who missed Week Two due to a concussion. Signed over from the New England Patriots, he’s a big body 6015 and more than 200 pounds who lit up the stat sheet in Week One, catching nine passes on ten targets for two touchdowns. Adams is the better player but there’s no “easy” matchup for Porter.
Last year, the Steelers shut Adams down, holding him to just two catches and 15 yards on nine targets. But it’s a different-looking secondary this season with Porter, Patrick Peterson, and Keanu Neal all offseason additions. The Raiders have some new looks as well, most notably at quarterback with Jimmy Garoppolo replacing Derek Carr. For Porter and the Steelers, the results have to look the same.
