Joey Porter Jr. Disses Drake London After Steelers Win: 'What Was His Stat Line?'

Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. thought he scored a decisive victory over the Atlanta Falcons' Drake London in his team's 18-10 win in Week 1 of the NFL season.

"What was his stat line?... Yeah, he did a little warm up today," Porter said to Dale Lolley of the Steelers' official site after London had two catches for 15 yards on three targets. "It was good."

Porter added the Steelers' "whole plan" was to have him blanket London.

"We've got the same body types," he said. "That was the main thing."

Expectations for London were relatively high coming into his third year. The first wideout off the board in the 2022 draft, he had 141 receptions, 1,771 yards and six touchdowns in 33 appearances.

Considering the upgrade at quarterback Atlanta made by signing Kirk Cousins, an accompanying bump to London's production is a reasonable byproduct.

Instead, the former USC star was mostly anonymous as Cousins finished 16-of-26 for 155 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

Porter unquestionably made the stronger impression in the opening week, and he sent a message to everyone else on Pittsburgh's schedule.

The 24-year-old didn't go above and beyond as a rookie. He finished with 43 tackles, 10 pass breakups and one interception, and he tied for fifth in the Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.

More in the way of individual accolades might be coming Porter's way in 2024.