Bills OL Not Fined for Hit That Injured Joey Porter Jr.

Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Connor McGovern was not fined for his hit that injured Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. while he was tackling wide receiver Stefon Diggs.

Midway through the third quarter, Josh Allen completed to Diggs for a 12-yard gain on third-and-8, and as Porter was tackling Diggs, McGovern came up from behind and blasted Porter in the back.

The whiplash is what probably caused Porter to be evaluated for a concussion. McGovern is 317 pounds and launched himself at Porter’s back while running full speed.

DISGUSTING… Dirty hit on #Bills lineman Connor McGovern to #Steelers star Joey Porter Jr.

There was NO PENALTY called by the refs.
pic.twitter.com/5QyZLkiN5S

— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) January 15, 2024

“It’s a dangerous play,” safety Eric Rowe said. “It really is, just on player safety. He’s just trying to make a tackle. It could be a block in the back like they’d call, I guess it’s technically not a book in the back, but still.”

Porter, the son of former Steelers linebacker Joey Porter Sr., is the third cornerback in franchise history to win the Steelers Rookie of the Year award and first since Chad Scott won it in 1997. The other cornerback to win the award was Denton Hall in 1987.

Porter was drafted with the 32nd overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Steelers acquired the pick to draft Porter by trading the drama-filled Chase Claypool to the Chicago Bears on Nov. 1, 2022. Porter began the year as a depth corner behind Patrick Peterson and Levi Wallace but due to his high level of play, he started the last 10 games as the team’s primary coverage cornerback.

No fines were handed out in the game.