Will Joey Porter Jr. fare better against Tee Higgins in this rematch?
The last time the Steelers played the Bengals CB Joey Porter Jr. had a day against Tee Higgins. A long day, that is, and full of laundry. The officiating crew flagged Porter half a dozen times with defensive holding or pass-interference infractions.
In that game, Tee Higgins caught five passes for 69 yards and a touchdown. According to Pro Football Focus, none of those catches came against Joey Porter Jr. as the primary defender, however. He picked up 31 yards on one catch, for example, against Damontae Kazee. And it was Cameron Sutton in coverage when Higgins scored his touchdown.
But you can’t just throw your hands up and say Porter had a good game. You have to factor in the impact of those penalties, and the yardage adds up. While the Steelers downplayed the significance of the flags, they didn’t pat him on the back, either.
Tee Higgins is, arguably, by far, the best No. 2 WR in the league. There’s a good chance that he goes somewhere else in 2025 and acts as the No. 1 for a new team. And with Saturday likely being his last game of the season, it’s a good time for an audition. Joey Porter Jr. had better be aware of that.
On the season, Higgins has 69 catches for 858 yards and 10 touchdowns. While that is a career high in scores, his other numbers lag. But that’s because he missed five games. It was only since the Joey Porter game that he has found his stride, coinciding with his health. Or rather the game before. Over the past six weeks, he has 40 catches for 517 yards and seven touchdowns.
So, he’s on a bit of a tear, though bookended by some big performances. His game against the Steelers was actually one of his less impressive performances statistically. But that’s only if you don’t factor in the immense impact of the penalties Porter committed.
The Steelers’ 2024 season is underway, following another disappointing year ending in a first-round playoff loss. They have had a long offseason since the Buffalo Bills stamped them out of their misery back in January. There are positive signs, but things could jump off the rails any moment.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Is Russell Wilson earning a lucrative new deal next year, and is Justin Fields still in consideration? How will the team continue to address the depth chart, which is surprisingly still in flux?
The regular season is here, following weeks of camp and preseason games. The Steelers made numerous moves through signings and trade—and release. More than usual, they seemed comfortable creating holes, confident they can fill them. Some they managed to fill, others not so much. Now that we have so many pieces of the puzzle, however, we merely have a new set of questions to ask.
