Joey Porter Jr. showed his incredible potential in coverage matchup vs. Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase
Joey Porter Jr. was issued the biggest test of his rookie season on Sunday. Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin called on Porter to cover Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, and the rookie cornerback ended up passing the test with flying colors. Chase was just coming off of a sluggish outing in Week 11 […]
Joey Porter Jr. was issued the biggest test of his rookie season on Sunday. Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin called on Porter to cover Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, and the rookie cornerback ended up passing the test with flying colors.
Chase was just coming off of a sluggish outing in Week 11 in which Baltimore Ravens cornerback Brandon Stephens helped hold him to a mere two catches. While Chase bounced back in Week 12 with an 81-yard showing, he did not have his way against Porter.
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Porter shadowed Chase on 24 of 28 (85.7 percent) of the wideout’s routes on the day. Chase hauled in both of his targets with Porter covering him, and they came in tight windows in man coverage. For one, the third-year wideout logged a 25-yard reception against the former Penn State standout on Cincinnati’s opening drive of the third quarter.
Porter also allowed an average target separation of 0.9 yards to Chase — the same average that Stephens held the former LSU star to in Week 11.
Porter may not be among the top contenders for the 2023 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award, but he sure is having a formidable debut season. Overall, he has allowed just one touchdown in coverage this year.
Porter is now slated to cover wide receiver Marquise Brown in Pittsburgh's upcoming home matchup against the Arizona Cardinals.
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