The Pittsburgh Steelers took down the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday for their third win of the 2024 season to maintain their undefeated status going into Week 4. It was a dominant showing from both the offense and the defense, but there were some slip ups. The offense struggled a bit in the first half, especially when it came to running the ball. The defense struggled when it came to stopping Justin Herbert, and the quarterback was able to get the first points of the day when he found Quentin Johnston for a 27-yard touchdown.
The Steelers defense held up pretty well aside from the touchdown scored by Johnston in the first quarter. The touchdown seemed to come on a play where second-year cornerback Joey Porter Jr. got too aggressive and bit on a route. This allowed Johnston to essentially be wide open for the score. Ben Roethlisberger spoke about the play on his podcast, Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger, and he shared that the Chargers may have been picking on Porter's weakness on the score.
"That play to me was, a quarterback or offensive coordinator, whoever it was knowing that Joey Porter Jr. is an aggressive, 100 percent go get it guy. He [Herbert] got that snap, he looked to the flat so fast that Joey came flying up and bit on it so quick. That's film study, and he hit the little hole behind him before Minkah [Fitzpatrick] could get over there. That play happened to develop so fast that it made me think, like that's film study."
Herbert is one of the better quarterbacks in the entire league. He prepared for the game and knew he would be able to get Porter with a move like this. He picked on a younger player who he knows is aggressive, which opened up a huge hole in the secondary and allowed the easy score for Los Angeles.
Porter has been lauded for his play ever since becoming a starter during his rookie year in 2023. He has shown a ton of promise and was even a finalist for the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. The second-year cornerback has only recorded one interception so far in his career, but he has been a lock down corner. He consistently holds some of the league's best receivers to minimal yardage, and he is a huge asset to the Steelers' defense, which already had an elite pass rush.
The young corner will be able to look at the film from this mistake and take a huge lesson from it. He now knows when playing these veteran quarterbacks that they know how to take advantage of him in certain ways. Maybe this will change his mindset, and next time he won't bite underneath and sacrifice another receiver being open down the field.
Roethlisberger played quarterback at a high level for a long time in the NFL, and he was able to dissect what happened on this play as soon as it happened. Porter is certainly being coached by Pittsburgh's coaching staff regarding the mistake, and he'll be able to carry that with him going forward.
Steelers Will Need Joey Porter Jr. In A Big Way Moving Forward
Pittsburgh's defense has been the best in the league through the first three weeks of the season, and that is because of the pass rush and the secondary standing their ground. Pittsburgh has taken some hits at the cornerback position, which they already didn't have much reliable depth at going into the season. Cory Trice Jr. suffered a hamstring injury on Sunday, and Donte Jackson has already gone down a few times during the first three weeks to minor injuries.
Porter has remained reliable and available. As long as that trend continues, the Steelers can continue to be dominant on defense.
