Getty Steelers' Joey Porter Jr has had matchup with DK Metcalf circled on his calendar
It hasn’t taken long for rookie Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. to find himself matched up against some of the NFL’s best receivers.
After just 15 games in the league, Porter Jr. has already lined up across from Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Amari Cooper, and DeAndre Hopkins. In Week 17, he’ll be tested by another one of the league’s top receivers.
Porter Jr. will be tasked with covering DK Metcalf in a matchup that the Steelers corner told reporters he’s had circled on his calendar.
“DK is definitely one of those guys that’s different from the rest,” Porter Jr. said via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “Like every matchup, I’m ready for it. I’m looking forward to it. Especially this one, this is a big one. Everyone has been talking about it. I’m not going to lie, I had this circled on my calendar. Man, I’m just ready to work.”
There likely aren’t many corners around the NFL that look forward to having to deal with Metcalf’s imposing physicality. However, Porter Jr. has already earned a reputation of his own for his physical play.
In fact, matching up against an equally physical oppoent could help Porter Jr. avoid the penalty issues he has dealt with this season.
Porter Jr. Has Handled WR1s Well This Season
He may only be a rookie, but Porter Jr. has already proven that he can handle the challenge of taking on opposing WR1s.
In Week 16, the Steelers rookie was able to neutralize Tee Higgins. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Porter Jr. covered Higgins on 32 of his 40 routes and held him to 1 catch for 15 yards.
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Joey Porter Jr. shadowed Tee Higgins on 32 of 40 routes, limiting Higgins to 1 reception on 2 targets for 15 yards as the nearest defender.<br><br>Since Week 7, Porter has shadowed opponent’s top receivers on a majority of their routes in 7 of 11 games.<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/CINvsPIT?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#CINvsPIT</a> | <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/HereWeGo?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#HereWeGo</a> <a href=”https://t.co/UpOH2TPCy2″>pic.twitter.com/UpOH2TPCy2</a></p>— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) <a href=”https://twitter.com/NextGenStats/status/1738725495146221837?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>December 24, 2023</a></blockquote> https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Higgins had 4 catches for 125 yards and a touchdown on the other 8 routes that he ran.
The first time he played against the Bengals, Porter Jr. held Chase to just 2 catches on 24 routes. Hopkins only made one catch for 17 yards on 5 targets while covered by Porter Jr. in Week 9.
The standout rookie has been up to the task when asked to cover top receivers so far this season and the Steelers will be hoping for more of the same this week.
Other Steelers DBs Will Need To Step Up As Well
Porter Jr. winning the matchup against Metcalf would make a big impact for the Steelers as they try to keep their playoff hopes alive. However, Metcalf isn’t the only threat they will need to worry about in the Seattle Seahawks’ passing game.
Tyler Lockett has accounted for 76 catches and 813 yards this season and Jaxon Smith-Njigba as made at least 4 catches in each of his last 4 games.
While Porter Jr has done a great job against opposing WR1s in recent games, the rest of the team hasn’t been quite as effective.
The Steelers are allowing the 10th most yards per passing attempt in the NFL this season despite Porter Jr.’s recent efforts.
They have also allowed the league’s 11th most passing yards, even surrendering 335 yards to Jake Browning in their Week 16 win.
If the Steelers are going to leave Seattle with a win in Week 17, then they’ll need an answer for all 3 Seahawks receivers.