2023 Penn State in the NFL: Week 9

The former Penn Staters are making their impact this NFL season. Here’s how they fared in week nine.

Joey Porter Jr., CB, Pittsburgh Steelers

In a short week, the Steelers gutted out a victory against the Tennessee Titans, which featured another former Nittany Lion, Will Levis, at quarterback.

The Thursday Night Football matchup set the stage for Porter Jr.’s first career start. In the 20-16 win, he had three solo tackles and one pass defended.

In the spotlight, there were some growing pains for the rookie who drew four flags, including offsides, facemask, illegal use of the hands and holding. Porter Jr.’s still working on cleaning up his play, but he played a pivotal role in limiting the impact of Titans’ wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.

Jahan Dotson, WR, Washington Commanders

After losing the past two, the Commanders found a win on the road against the Patriots. Dotson continues to make his presence known in his second NFL season.

For the second consecutive game and the third time this season, the wide receiver found the endzone to tie up the game.

Midway through the third quarter, the Commanders were on the New England 34 when Sam Howell threw one deep to Dotson, who caught it in stride as he scored the touchdown.

At 4-5, Washington will travel to Seattle for a chance to return to .500 next week.

Nick Scott, S, Cincinnati Bengals

Sunday Night welcomed an intense AFC matchup with the Bengals and Bills clashing in Cincinnati.

Joe Burrow and Josh Allen came out firing, each leading their offense to opening-drive touchdowns. In what was expected to be a shoot-out, the defenses caused offensive lulls, with the final score of 24-18 in the Bengals’ favor.

Down 11 points at the start of the fourth quarter, the Bills attempted to start a comeback, but Scott had other plans.

On the brink of the red zone, Josh Allen dished a pass to tight end Dalton Kincaid, who was running toward the first-down marker before being upended by the safety.

The ball came loose, and Scott was able to recover it and give possession back to his team. Kincaid flipping over his tackle was enough to pop the ball out in the defense’s second turnover.

After starting 1-3, the Bengals have won the last four to keep them in reach of the 7-2 Ravens that sit atop the AFC North.

Amanda Vogt is a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email amandaevogt@gmail.com.