Welcome to Pittsburgh, Eric Rowe. In his first game playing for the Steelers, Rowe intercepted Cincinnati Bengals QB Jake Browning in the second quarter and returned the ball deep into Bengals’ territory.
Rowe dropped into zone coverage and undercut the throw from Browning, who never saw him underneath.
Rowe was signed to the Steelers’ practice squad just over a month ago. With Pittsburgh racking up the injuries at safety, playing without Minkah Fitzpatrick, Keanu Neal, Damontae Kazee (suspended), and Trenton Thompson today, Rowe was elevated off the practice squad Friday and earned the start today.
An NFL veteran, Rowe was drafted in the second round in 2015 by the Philadelphia Eagles. A corner initially, he eventually moved to safety. This is his first NFL game since last season, appearing in 14 of them for the Miami Dolphins.
It’s the second interception Pittsburgh’s secondary has on the day. Patrick Peterson, making his second career start at safety and first as a Steeler, picked off Browning to stall out a Bengals drive earlier in the game. The Steelers now have more defensive takeaways in the first half than they had during their three-game losing streak.
