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Has Joey Porter Jr. inherited his father's penchant for trash talk?
On October 8, the Pittsburgh Steelers hosted the long-time rival Baltimore Ravens and won 17-10, thanks to key defensive stops like this fourth-quarter interception by the rookie cornerback on Lamar Jackson:
The pass was intended for Odell Beckham Jr., and a recently released sideline footage (courtesy of TikToker @nflrjay) shows Porter showing major disrespect for the veteran wide receiver.
"I'm like, 'Go ahead, run that,' I already knew it was coming. Strapped his old a**, I told him," Porter said.
After the game, Joey Porter Jr. said (via Sports Illustrated):
"I'm the rookie out there against Odell Beckham on the third down, so I already kind of had that in the back of my mind, 'They're going to try me on this play'."
"It was a party on the sidelines. It was definitely great to turn up with my guys. The coaches were excited for me. Earlier this week, Coach [Mike Tomlin] was like, 'Get a pick and hand it to me on the sideline.' So that's exactly what I did. I handed it right to him," he added.
Is Joey Porter Jr. bound for more playing opportunities after interception vs. Ravens?
Before the Week 5 matchup, Joey Porter Jr. had been mostly invisible on the field, with just four tackles (three solo) and a pass deflection. But then he played 40% of the defensive snaps on Sunday, and his crucial interception may be enough for Mike Tomlin to give the rookie more reps.
Speaking after the game, the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach said (via ESPN):
"Porter has been playing increasingly more with each passing week. I've been really transparent about the inclusion of all the rookies. Oftentimes we start with a good foundational plan in terms of how they participate, and we grow from there. He's done a solid job with the work given. And today he got more. He did a nice job with the work he was given today."
And there is more proof that supports starting Joey Porter Jr. in future games.
Recently, fantasy football analyst Judah Fortgang compiled the performance of every cornerback who played at least 60 snaps in Week 5. The table below shows that the Penn State alum is hovering in or around the top 5 in target percentage and trailing only the New York Jets' Michael Carter II and Sauce Gardner in separation prevented:
