With their backs against the wall and perhaps a playoff berth on the line, the Pittsburgh Steelers played arguably their worst game of the season against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 15. When asked about the team’s performance in the 30-13 loss, rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr. didn’t mince words in front of reporters.
“We played like s*** today,” Porter told reporters, via TribLive.com’s Chris Adamski. “There’s no sugarcoating that.”
It’s hard to argue that wasn’t the correct assessment for how the Steelers played at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Steelers recorded a season-low 216 yards of offense and committed 8 penalties for a season-high 101 yards. The Steelers also had 3 turnovers and didn’t record a takeaway.
Furthermore, Pittsburgh was 4-for-12 on third-down opportunities, gave up 170 rushing yards and missed an extra point.
Steelers’ Lose Third Straight With Season on the Line
The competition may have been better than the previous two weeks for the Steelers. But Pittsburgh’s loss in Week 15 was arguably even uglier.
Even as the team built a 13-0 lead, the Steelers made several mistakes. They started the game with a three-and-out after deciding to begin the game with the ball.
Then the Steelers almost didn’t score despite having the ball second-and-goal at the Colts 1-yard line. After a replay review on fourth-and-goal, the officials ruled Mitch Trubisky reached across the goal line prior to fumbling the ball, giving the Steelers a touchdown.
But kicker Chris Boswell missed the extra point.
A blocked punt set up the Steelers at the 1-yard line after a defensive three-and-out. Pittsburgh scored again to increase its lead to 13.
However, the Colts ended the night with 30 unanswered points.
The Steelers were unable to maintain their fast start in part because they couldn’t establish a running game. Pittsburgh rushed for just 74 yards, which was the team’s fewest since Week 8 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Pittsburgh’s defense continued to struggle because of injuries at inside linebacker and safety. The Colts gashed the Steelers repeatedly with short passes, including 2 touchdowns, to tight ends and running backs.
Then in the second half, the Colts called 13 straight running plays with third and fourth-string running backs, gaining 70 yards and burning 8:57 off the clock. That sucked the remaining life out of the Steelers.
Penalties Piling Up for Rookie CB Joey Porter Jr.
Of the 8 penalties the Steelers committed in Week 15, only one came from Porter. However, it was a big one.
During Indianapolis’ two-minute drill in the first half, officials called Porter for a defensive pass interference penalty on Alec Pierce. The penalty resulted in 26 yards for the Colts, bringing Indianapolis to the Steelers 14-yard line.
Indianapolis scored two plays later to take the lead into halftime.
The foul was Porter’s fourth pass inference penalty of the season. It was also his seventh foul overall.
Porter leads the Steelers in both categories.
The 23-year-old cornerback is experiencing a strong rookie season. He’s been covering the opposing offense’s top wide receiver since the midseason point. That’s a big responsibility for the young cornerback.
Looking ahead, Porter has the looks of being the shutdown cornerback the Steelers have been searching for since Ike Taylor retired following the 2014 season.
But a big negative in Porter’s draft evaluation was his “grabbiness” in coverage. That’s been true for the 23-year-old in his first NFL season. It’s something he’ll likely have to improve upon to become a Pro Bowl or All-Pro type player.
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Rookie CB Joey Porter Jr. Blasts Steelers After Loss to Colts