Steelers Had An Unlikely Teammate Prepare Darnell Washington For His First Ever NFL Touchdown

The Pittsburgh Steelers had plenty of struggles throughout their Week 2 matchup against the Denver Broncos, but they still had some highlights after their 13-6 win. There were some firsts for some young players, including Cory Trice Jr.'s first career interception, as well as touchdown reception number one for Darnell Washington. Washington is seen as a blocking tight end with great red zone potential due to his size, but it took until his 19th regular season game to finally haul one in for the score. 

Washington was asked about that touchdown. He gave credit to many people, but his first choice stood out more than the others. 

"We repped that play throughout the whole week. Shoutout Joey Porter (Jr.), he got me right during practice and things like that. Shoutout [Justin] Fields for throwing it and coach for calling the play."

Usually, high-end starting cornerbacks like Joey Porter Jr. don't line up on tight ends, especially backup tight ends. However, he apparently was locked onto Washington throughout the practice week whenever the Steelers' offense ran that particular play and/or formation. They always say that iron sharpens iron, and what better way to learn how to catch a particular pass on a particular play, than to have a physical cornerback like Porter all over you all week long? 

Why Would The Steelers Match Porter Up With Washington?

For starters, Washington seemed to be the first option on that specific play. On the game film, Justin Fields immediately looks left, where the big tight end was, and got the ball out of his hands quickly. The whole play was seemingly designed to get Washington in a mismatch against a much smaller defensive back so he can just overpower him, and it worked to perfection.

Even though Porter is much taller than P.J. Locke (the safety covering Washington on the play), he does not weight as much. Locke weighs in at 202 pounds, which is heavier than Porter by nine pounds, despite being four inches shorter. Washington was going to have to be in a physical battle to get to his spot either way, and after facing Porter all week long, he didn't have a problem getting through the Broncos' safety.

Washington was also lined up as a wide receiver on the outside. Porter is a pure outside corner himself, so he would play his best ball in that exact scenario. The play wouldn't have the same effect if a linebacker followed him outside. He needed to go up against a big, physical defensive back to get the full game-like scenario of getting to his spot and out-reaching him with all kinds of pressure on him. 

Even with all that preparation, Washington didn't have any sort of resistance on the play. Locke barely got his hands on him before Washington spun around and caught the pass while reaching away from him. As he also mentioned, it was good job from Fields to throw the ball to him quickly, and he even placed it in a spot where the safety had no chance of breaking the pass up. If he keeps getting chances like that, he could have a breakout season in the passing game. Fields made a quick, confident decision, and the big tight end made a great adjustment to turn and receive it away from Locke. All around, it was a perfectly executed play. 

What do you think about Darnell Washington praising the young corner in Joey Porter Jr. for getting him ready to make his first career touchdown reception in Week 2? Do you think he would have made that catch if Locke played tighter on him? Let us know in the comments below.

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