No matter how you get it, an interception is an interception. But to do it the Beanie Bishop Jr. way, a pair of picks against QB Aaron Rodgers in a primetime win, it doesn’t get much sweeter than that. Speaking to reporters following his big game in an equally big win, Bishop broke down what happened.
“Whenever he sees the middle of the field open, he likes to throw the ball in there,” Bishop said of Rodgers’ tendencies via the team’s website. “And I can’t remember if it was last week or a couple weeks ago, he threw the ball right at buddy’s helmet. Kind of gave him a back shoulder pass. Just being able to, you know, see that stuff on film and just be able to react and know that it’s coming. That’s just how I kind of played it.”
It was an impressive one-handed snag and a critical one to breathe life into a scuffling Steelers team.
His pick gave Pittsburgh the ball at the end of the half, setting up QB Russell Wilson’s touchdown to WR George Pickens that made it only a two-point deficit going into half time. The Steelers controlled the second half from there, shutting out the Jets and running up the score in a 37-15 win.
Beanie Bishop played a role in that goose egg, too. He picked off Rodgers for a second time on a pass that bounced out of WR Garrett Wilson’s hands. While Bishop admitted he didn’t tip the ball on the way there, his ability to get depth and squeeze the throw impacted the outcome.
“They ran that play, the play that I caught a pick on, they ran that play when they was in Green Bay. Obviously them acquiring Davante Adams, we had that on our mind.”
The Jets made the splash move to add Adams on Tuesday, reuniting with Rodgers from their Packers days. Pittsburgh spoiled the New York connection, with Adams held to 3 catches for 30 yards on 9 targets. He failed to catch a pass after halftime, targeted 4 times for no receptions and Bishop’s second pick.
Both of his interceptions led to Steelers’ touchdowns and some pretty historic stats. Bishop is just the second rookie to ever pick off Rodgers twice in one game, joining the Detroit Lions’ Kerby Joseph in 2022. Bishop is the first undrafted rookie to accomplish the feat.
Like the team itself, Bishop has been on the upswing since a tough Week 5 game against the Dallas Cowboys.
