After Gunner Olszewski fumbled the ball inside Steelers’ territory on a punt return late in the fourth quarter, all wind was taken out of Pittsburgh’s sails. The Ravens were in prime position to put the game away.
That is… until rookie CB Joey Porter Jr. gave Pittsburgh a jolt of energy to resuscitate the Steelers and their chances for victory.
Porter managed to pick off QB Lamar Jackson on third-and-goal with 4:04 left in the fourth quarter. Intercepting a pass in the end zone intended for veteran WR Odell Beckham Jr., he gave the ball back to Pittsburgh’s offense, which would go down the field and get the go-ahead score.
Veteran CB Patrick Peterson, speaking to the media following the Steelers’ 17-10 win, lauded Porter for his play in crunch time, stating that his pick was easily the defining moment of the game.
“Player the game though: Joey Porter,” Peterson said to the media via video from Steelers.com. “With the three-yard line… third-and-goal. We needed a play to keep ourselves at least keep the game in striking distance… so we went down to score to take the lead, and the rest is history. So definitely the play the game, but this game was full of emotions from the first quarter to the last second of the game.”
Prior to the interception, Pittsburgh’s chances at victory were dwindling. The team was trailing 11-8 with the Ravens knocking on the door to take a two-score lead late in the fourth with the Steelers offense failing to get into the end zone up to that point. Porter’s pick jump-started Pittsburgh’s comeback, leading to a 41-yard TD strike from QB Kenny Pickett to George Pickens. An Alex Highsmith sack-strip fumble that the defense recovered, a Chris Boswell field goal, and a T.J. Watt sack ended the game.
All those moments were vital in Pittsburgh’s comeback win. None of them would’ve happened if it weren’t for Porter’s pick to catalyze the chain reaction of events that would ensue. It was a great outing for Porter, who saw increased snaps in the second half, playing more on early downs for Peterson and making the most of those opportunities. Hopefully it’s just the beginning of a bigger role for Porter on defense. He continues to shine in the snaps that he’s given, coming up big against the Cleveland Browns in Week Two and the Baltimore Ravens again today.
