The Pittsburgh Steelers and cornerback Joey Porter Jr. prevented a sweep from the Cleveland Browns Sunday. They also won without star wide receiver George Pickens. But Joey Porter Jr. and Jerry Jeudy couldn’t prevent themselves from scuffling after the 27-14 Pittsburgh win.
The star Steelers defender and Browns wide receiver got into a heated moment after the game. A skirmish occurred between both veterans. Porter didn’t take long to address the issue, per Brian Batko of the Post Gazette-News.
“I wasn’t even trying to have the scuffle with him, but I already don’t like those guys and they don’t like us, so at the end of the day it is what it is,” Porter Jr. said inside the locker room. “We’re playing football though, and I’m just happy that we got the team win. At the end of the day, they lost and we won, so I’m happy.”
The scuffle wasn’t out of the blue, either. Porter revealed there was verbal lashes directed toward one another during the game at Acrisure Stadium.
“There was a lot of back-and-forth,” Porter said. “I feel like I got under his skin…it was a quiet day for him in my opinion.”
How Joey Porter Jr. fared facing Jerry Jeudy
Jeudy entered the Steelers’ home venue fresh off one of his better performances of his career. He tallied nine catches for 235 yards and a touchdown against the Denver Broncos, despite the Monday Night Football loss. Jeudy even came in holding the last win over Porter’s Steelers back on Nov. 21. The WR grabbed six passes for 85 yards that snowy night.
Porter, however, ensured Jeudy was going to take steps back from his MNF outing. The Steelers’ No. 1 CB helped lock him up to five catches, 64 yards and only one score. Jeudy managed to find a seam in the middle of the defense for his 35-yard touchdown.
Porter and the Steelers contained the 25-year-old WR to only 29 receiving yards the rest of the afternoon. Pittsburgh additionally strengthened its AFC North lead.
The Steelers improve to 10-3 overall and are two games in front of second-place Baltimore. The AFC North leader even received rare help from the Los Angeles Rams. L.A. stunned the Buffalo Bills 44-42, which placed the Bills with the same record as the Steelers at 10-3. Pittsburgh remains in the race for the AFC’s top seed and are currently a game behind the Kansas City Chiefs.
Porter and the division-leading Steelers now have a major interconference showdown against the Philadelphia Eagles on the road. The Keystone State battle will feature two teams that are a combined 21-5 overall.
