To win games in the NFL, you need some contributions from unlikely sources, guys who might be overlooked, underrated, or not expected to have much of a role in general.
Rookie undrafted free agent slot cornerback Beanie Bishop Jr. could be placed in the overlooked and underrated categories for the Pittsburgh Steelers. last Sunday night, though against the New York Jets in a primetime matchup, Bishop made some of the biggest plays defensively for the Black and Gold, helping Pittsburgh roll to a 37-15 win.
Bishop recorded two interceptions off Jets star quarterback and future first ballot Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers, including one late in the first half in which he made a one-handed interception near midfield. That helped set up a late Steelers touchdown that ultimately gave Pittsburgh a spark.
For Steelers defensive end and team captain Cameron Heyward, Bishop’s performance was impressive and is one that Bishop should remember forever due to the fact that he picked off Rodgers twice.
Appearing on the latest episode of his podcast “Not Just Football with Cam Heyward” the captain praised Bishop, and said he hopes to see the rookie build off it his game-changing performance against the Jets.
“Beans played pretty good. I think he did a great job of seizing those opportunities to make some big plays,” Heyward said, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “You know, being a undrafted rookie and picking off Aaron Rogers twice, man, you better hang that up in your living room. You better put that ball underneath your pillow. I think this is a game that he’ll forever remember, but I think this is something you can build on, too.
“This is something you can say, ‘This is what I’m capable of, now let’s see if I can keep doing it week in and week out.'”
The rookie played some good football the Jets and really bounced back after a tough showing in his first primetime action against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5. That night against Dallas, Bishop struggled in coverage and was a real liability.
That wasn’t anywhere close to the case against the Jets. In fact, Bishop was a strength of the defense in the blowout win the moved the Steelers to 5-2 . Along with his two interceptions he recorded six tackles and a tackle for loss and really seemed to take a step forward in his game, earning praise from head coach Mike Tomlin immediately after the game.
Picking off Rodgers once, let alone twice, is rather remarkable. Hopefully he’s able to get the footballs signed by Rodgers, who agreed to do it after the season. That’s pretty cool.
But it can’t just be a one-off thing. Bishop now has to build off the great performance against the Jets and continue to take his game to the next level, becoming a key piece in the secondary for the Black and Gold moving forward.
Check out the full episode of “Not Just Football with Cam Heyward” below.
