Patrick Peterson Makes Big Splash Early in First Start at Safety

PITTSBURGH — In his first career start as a safety, Patrick Peterson didn’t take long to make an impact.

The longtime cornerback, who is filling in at safety for the Steelers because of multiple injuries at the position, was in perfect position to corral an off-target pass by Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Jake Browning in the first quarter Saturday.

Browning rolled to his right under pressure from Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt and threw up a desperation heave toward the end zone. The Bengals had been driving the ball well, moving the ball from their own 25 to the Steelers’ 16 before Browning threw up his heave on a third and long.

Peterson made quick work of the well-off-target pass. His nearest competition to make the catch was Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr.

Snagged by @p2 🙌

📲: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/T87FSnfvVk pic.twitter.com/OCOsm63vi6

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) December 23, 2023

The interception was the second of the season for Peterson. He had five in 2022 while playing with the Minnesota Vikings, but the big plays have not been as forthcoming this year.

He made the switch from cornerback to safety in-game last week, when Minkah Fitzpatrick was injured and Damontae Kazee was ejected on consecutive plays in the second quarter.

With the Steelers still without those two, Keanu Neal and Trenton Thompson, it seems that Peterson may continue playing safety for some time. Peterson even suggested this week that he may consider making the move to that spot permanent at some point in the future.

“The older that I did get, if I wanted to play this game for much longer than I planned on playing, I did feel that move was going to be necessary,” Peterson said this week. “I feel like it’s a great move for me at this state of my career. We’ve got some really, really good corners on this roster that I feel can really feel can be the cornerstone of this team here in the future. This might be my second career.”

Former Steelers defensive back Rod Woodson made that move at the end of his career, playing another five years at safety with the Baltimore Ravens.

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