Football is a game of inches and split-second decisions with a very fine line between a successful play and a disaster. Juan Thornhill was incredibly close to an interception Sunday against the New York Jets, so close that he can almost still feel the ball grazing his fingertips. It still bothers him the next day.
“Don’t bring that up, man. That’s one play that really, it bothers me. That’s the play that stick with me,” Thornhill said with a smile via Steelers Live on X. “I saw the ball coming but I didn’t want to get a PI [pass interference]. It was one of them play where you kind of avoid the receiver, try not to hit ’em, and then that caused me to miss the football.”
Here is the play Thornhill is referring to. He could have undercut the route for an interception, but a 24-yard explosive passing play to Tyler Johnson happened instead. That drive ultimately ended in a field goal for the Jets. They wouldn’t have been in range if not for the 24-yard gain.
Defensive backs have one of the least forgiving jobs on the football field. Rule changes in recent years have made their lives more difficult with the threat of penalties and fines looming over them. One wrong move can cost the team, and their pocketbook as well.
Thornhill was right to avoid early contact, which would have guaranteed a spot-of-penalty foul and a first down. You can see from this other angle that he tries to go around Johnson, and the extra split second caused him to miss the potential interception. Otherwise, he could have broken up the pass.
Fields did a great job throwing into tight windows this game, completing 16 of 22 attempts for 218 yards and one touchdown in total. Without that explosive play and with an interception, his day would have looked much different. That’s the difference a split second makes.
Thornhill is trying not to dwell on it — he believes opportunities like that will keep coming his way.
“I think it’s gonna come back to me,” Thornhill said. “I’m a true believer, if you miss one play, it’s gonna come back.”
With DeShon Elliott suffering a knee injury in Week 1, Thornhill is the top Steelers safety until he returns. Typically a free safety, he saw more opportunities near the box. That puts him closer to the ball with more opportunities to create splash plays, hopefully ones he can capitalize on soon.
