Steelers Finally Take The New Toy Out Of The Box
In typical Steelers fashion, they came out a little flat. That’s to be expected with this team anymore. They just need to be punched in the mouth a little bit to wake up, and they woke up in the second half against the Rams. Kenny Pickett had a great second half throwing darts all over the place to George Pickens and Diontae Johnson.
Even the running back duo of Thunder and Lightning, Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren looked good as they both scored touchdowns including a Kenny Pickett rushing touchdown to take the Steelers rushing touchdown number on the year from zero to three all in an hour and a half.
The offense showed a pulse finally. Getting Diontae Johnson back from the hamstring injury he sustained in week one was huge for Pickett and the Steelers. Johnson made a few huge grabs in his first game back, but that’s not what Steelers fans are enamored with at the moment.
Steelers Unwrap The New Toy
All season Steelers fans have cried about rookie Joey Porter Jr not getting enough game reps, and the crying was probably warranted. Patrick Peterson and Levi Wallace started the year slowly, so fans were outraged. They wanted Porter Jr badly and on Sunday against the Rams, they got him.
Porter Jr played the most snaps of his NFL career by far on Sunday. He played 53 snaps which was good enough for second in the team just behind the veteran Peterson who played 67. Porter Jr got to play in 77.9% of snaps and looked pretty good all game despite Rams receiver Puka Nacua going nuclear, but that just seems to be that guy’s normal at this point. He’s a star.
If you watched the game, you saw that Porter Jr was easily the best coverage corner on the Steelers roster. On the day he was credited with three tackles with two being solo tackles and one pass breakup up although it felt like he did more. Sometimes the box score won’t show it all with these guys.
Despite a couple of missed tackles, the Steelers should be happy with what they saw from Porter Jr on Sunday. A real sample size of what he can be in this league. The Steelers just might have finally drafted a good cornerback. Something we haven’t been able to say in who knows how long.
Steelers Offense Shows Signs Of Life
Between a great day from the rookie, a TJ Watt interception to shift the momentum, and Kenny Pickett looking calmer and more confident in the pocket, it’s safe to say the Steelers bye week was a good week for them, as it always seems to be. They always look like a different team after the bye week. Pickett ended the day 17/25 with 230 yards. Pickens had five receptions for 107 yards and Johnson grabbed five receptions for 79 yards. The offense has a pulse!
Now it’s time for a game with massive implications. The Jaguars are coming to town, followed by the Titans and Packers. If the Steelers can get out of there with three wins as they should, Cam Heyward could be waiting for them on the other side. Heyward could be a huge help in stopping the run, where the Steelers have gotten thrashed this year. Buckle up, it’s going to be a bumpy ride down the stretch because after that the Steelers get to spend two weeks in Ohio, going into both Cleveland and Cincinnati for two heavyweight bouts in the AFC North that could mean a lot come playoff time.
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