The Pittsburgh Steelers narrowly secured victory by a score of 16-10 over the Cincinnati Bengals. An untimely turnover with the Steelers in scoring position by Jaylen Warren and special teams errors made the game more uncomfortable than it had to be, but the offense went for over 400 yards for the first time in years and the defense held another opponent to a low score.
One of the momentum-shifting plays in this game was Trenton Thompson’s interception at the beginning of the second half. At the time, the score was 7-3 in favor of the Bengals, and they were on a 10-play drive that had reached the Steelers’ 18-yard line. Thompson undercut the route, intercepting the pass intended for Ja’Marr Chase, which had a chance to convert otherwise on third down.
Thompson spoke to the members of the Pittsburgh media after the game in the locker room about his first NFL interception.
“Game changer,” Thompson said in a video posted by 93.7 The Fan on X. “We needed a turnover for sure just to get us pumped up, get the offense going. And obviously take away the motivation that they was feeling on the sideline. It was a big play, I’m glad I got it though.”
Thompson initially entered the league as an undrafted free agent signed by the New York Giants. He bounced on and off their roster several times, appearing in just one NFL game. He finally made his way to the Steelers’ offseason 90-man roster on Aug. 02, before being cut and re-signed to the practice squad on Aug. 30. He had a strong training camp in the summer, but the safety room had plenty of capable bodies at the time so he ended up on the practice squad. Minkah Fitzpatrick and Keanu Neal went down with injuries and Thompson’s name was called. He made one of the pivotal plays in a critical AFC North matchup for the Steelers. Their playoff chance percentage with a win is about 40 points higher than if they had lost.
Thompson’s interception gave him a new keepsake.
“I had to give it to the equipment dude,” said Thompson of the ball he intercepted. “I definitely need to keep my first pick.”
Thompson finished the game with five total tackles and one big interception, playing well overall while trying to fill Fitzpatrick’s big shoes.
