Rookie CB Beanie Bishop Jr. planted his flag on Sunday Night Football in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 37-15 win over the New York Jets in Week 7, picking off two Aaron Rodgers passes, almost taking one to the house, and completely shifting the momentum in Pittsburgh’s favor. Bishop got some love from Stephen A. Smith on First Take, who shouted out Bishop after taking his victory lap about the Steelers starting Russell Wilson.
“Two passes defended, six tackles. He was arguably the MVP of last night’s game, in spite of how Russell Wilson played. We can’t forget that,” Smith said.
It was an impressive game for Bishop, and one that was sorely needed after he struggled two weeks ago, also on Sunday Night Football. Last night, he turned the tide in Pittsburgh’s favor with an impressive one-handed grab to intercept Aaron Rodgers, a play that Rodgers said changed the energy of the game.
Steelers LB Payton Wilson said on SiriusXM’s Sunday Standouts that the team “can’t thank” Bishop enough for how he played and being able to turn the momentum in Pittsburgh’s favor. And he did so again in the second half with another interception, turning a one-point Steelers lead into an eight-point cushion after returning the pick to the goal line.
Pittsburgh outscored the Jets 31-0 after Bishop’s first interception, and he deserves a ton of credit for stepping up and making a few big plays. The offense had struggled early but got going with the momentum in its favor after Bishop stepped up. As a whole, it seemed to energize the team and you can make a good argument that the Steelers wouldn’t have won had Bishop not gotten that first interception.
The Jets had the opportunity to drive and extend their nine-point lead late in the second quarter, and then they were getting the ball coming out of halftime. If New York had scored on the drive where Bishop got his first interception off Rodgers, all the momentum goes to the Jets at the half. Instead, Bishop’s play zapped the energy out of New York and lit a spark under the Steelers, who went on to dominate the rest of the game.
Bishop deserves his flowers, and it’s good to see Smith recognizing his performance. Hopefully, he can build off it and continue to be a useful player for the Steelers, and we can look at this game as the one where he turned a corner and became a key piece for Pittsburgh.
