The way Joey Porter Jr. has been playing, though in limited fashion, it was just a matter of time before even the most fickle evaluator took notice. Pro Football Focus gave Porter a grade of 91.3 — the highest of any corner in Week 5 — for his outstanding performance against the Baltimore Ravens. It’s hard to argue PFF grades when they favor the Pittsburgh Steelers.
All the rookie’s been doing since he took the field is making plays, and Sunday’s win over the Ravens was no different. He covered veteran wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. like a blanket all game long, but no coverage was more critical than when Baltimore was in scoring position on a third down late in the game.
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What better way to snag your first career pick than against the storied rival Ravens in the end zone of a fourth-quarter two-point game? It doesn’t get much better than that.
“I’m the rookie out there against Odell Beckham on a third down,” Porter said after the game. “I always kinda had that in the back of my mind that they were gonna try me on this play.”
It won’t be long until quarterbacks learn not to throw in his direction. It happened at Penn State and is about to happen in the NFL.
“Inside the NFL” highlighted Porter’s interception, which can be seen here.
Porter’s been targeted seven times through five games and 76 coverage snaps. Only one reception (12 yards) was allowed on those targets, two passes were broken up, and, of course, there was the interception of Lamar Jackson on the throw to Beckham. Porter’s 0.0 passer rating allowed is the best in the NFL.
Mike Tomlin must stop wasting his talent, especially in a suspect secondary. Tomlin has always brought rookies along slowly, but there’s no reason to hold him back when you’re playing lights out like Porter.
