Nearly eight years ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers won a rather insane AFC Wild-Card matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals due to an absolute implosion from the Bengals’ defense.
At the center of it all was Joey Porter Sr. Just … not as a player.
If you recall that night of Jan. 10, 2016, the Bengals held a slim 16-15 lead, but with 22 seconds to go linebacker Vontaze Burfict had a terrible hit on Steelers’ wide receiver Antonio Brown, knocking him out cold and leading to a 15-yard penalty. In the ensuing downtime with Brown being helped off the field, the Bengals were hit with another 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct due to cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones for making contact with a Steelers coach and an official.
That coach? Porter Sr.
Two plays later, Steelers kicker Chris Boswell booted the game-winning 35-yard field goal, sending Pittsburgh to the divisional round.
Now, eight years later, Joey Porter Jr. makes his first trip to Cincinnati as a starting cornerback for the Steelers. Though he was just 15 years old at the time, Porter Jr. remembers the incident that his father was at the center of like it just happened.
“Yeah, definitely. I remember that one like it was yesterday. It was crazy,” Porter Jr. said from the locker room of the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side, according to video on Twitter via the Tribune-Review’s Chris Adamski.
Of course, that moment led to the hilarious “Jerry Porter” video from Jones after the loss. It is still wild to look back on this day, seeing how that game transpired in the final minutes with a Steelers interception, then Bengals running back Jeremy Hill fumbling the next play, leading to the chaotic moments late in the game after Burfict’s hit.
Though he still can recall that crazy finish, Porter Jr. is looking forward to being part of the matchup in AFC North football himself.
“Like everybody said, those games are legendary. They’re always close games. There’s a lot of history between the two teams, so this is exciting for anybody who watches these two,” Porter said, according to video via Adamski.
There is a real rivalry there, one that has heightened in the last decade as the Bengals have returned to prominence, first with Andy Dalton and now Joe Burrow. Though Burrow will miss both Steelers games this season with the torn wrist ligament, ending his 2023 season, the matchup with the Bengals will still be a difficult one for the Steelers. Cincinnati boasts a great defense and has elite playmakers on offense for young quarterback Jake Browning to work with.
One such player on offense is wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, whom Porter will match up with on Sunday. That’ll be quite the matchup to watch within the game, giving Porter a true welcoming moment to the rivalry on the field.
