Steelers' Porter requested to cover DeAndre Hopkins on TNF: 'I want 10'
Pittsburgh Steelers rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr. told head coach Mike Tomlin leading up to Thursday Night Football against the Tennessee Titans that he wanted to cover wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
"On Tuesday, I went to Coach T, and I told him, 'I want 10.' That's what I was looking for. I don't really hide from nothing. I said, 'That's the matchup I want, that's the matchup I need.'" Porter said postgame, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.
Porter Jr. lined up against Hopkins on 26 of his 36 routes run Thursday, according to Next Gen Stats. The star wide receiver caught just one pass for 17 yards on five targets with Porter Jr. as the nearest defender.
Hopkins finished the game with four catches for 60 yards on 11 targets. He didn't record a reception in the second half.
"(Coach) didn't really say yes on Tuesday," Porter said. "He was like, 'We going to think about it' because they were like, 'That's kind of crazy.' But throughout the week, they were like, 'Alright, we going to let you get 10 on some reps.' And then throughout the game, it was like, 'You just go where 10's at.'"
Porter Jr. has seen a drastic increase in snaps since Pittsburgh's bye week. After only playing in 24% of the snaps through five games, the rookie has been on the field for 85% of the defensive plays in the last three contests.
Pittsburgh is 2-1 while allowing only 17.6 points per game during the recent stretch.
"I just got to keep working, keep grinding," Porter said. "Some rookies always hit their high ceiling, and then it's the rookie slump, so I just got to keep working. Like I said before, just chop wood, carry water, and just look forward to the next week."
The Steelers selected Porter Jr. with the 32nd overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. He has 12 tackles with four passes defended and one interception in eight games this season.
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