Steelers notes: Rookie Beanie Bishop Jr. picks off Aaron Rodgers for first NFL interceptions — plural

Brian Batko / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers nearly threaded the needle and threw a dime to Jets receiver Garrett Wilson down the left seam. Beanie Bishop Jr. had other plans.

The Steelers’ undrafted rookie cornerback caught up to the ball in the nick of time, stretched out his left arm and used just one hand to snag the pass. Getting your first NFL interception at home on “Sunday Night Football”? Not bad. Picking off Rodgers for it? That’s a story to tell. And it just kept getting better for Bishop, who had another pick in the second half.

“Got a lot of respect for that guy,” Bishop said. “To get not one but two off of him is crazy. ... I got both of [the balls]. We didn’t have a silver Sharpie for me to be able to ask A-Rod to sign it. I don’t know where he went after the game. It was just so hectic.”

Bishop was in the right place at the right time to benefit from a fortuitous bounce early in the second half. Wilson couldn’t haul in a laser from Rodgers down the left sideline, and it caromed off his chest right into the hands of Bishop, who was trailing him in coverage.

The 41-yard return was an impressive piece of running by Bishop, who got dragged down from behind by Davante Adams at the Jets 1. He joked that if he looked slow on the run-back, it’s only because he was like prime Le’Veon Bell trying to set up his blocking.

“He’s been working his butt off. I’m proud of him,” said safety DeShon Elliott. “Now, that boy talks a lot, so I know all week we won’t hear him be quiet. He will not shut up the whole week. I know he won’t. But I’m still proud of him. He’s like a little brother to me.”

A West Virginia product, Bishop had been up and down as the No. 1 slot cornerback through the first six games and could lose that role when veteran Cam Sutton returns from suspension after Week 8. But Bishop turned in his biggest play yet to snuff a Jets possession inside the two-minute warning of the first half. Had Rodgers hit Wilson, they would’ve been in Steelers territory.

The Steelers got a short field and turned it into points, with Russell Wilson hitting George Pickens for his first Steelers touchdown pass. When the Jets got the ball back with 27 seconds left in the half, Bishop made his presence felt again, hitting Garrett Wilson for a loss of 4 yards to end the second quarter.

Making opportunistic plays on the ball is nothing new for Bishop, who had four interceptions last season as a sixth-year senior. But he’s been picked on at times as the youngest, if not weakest, link in the Steelers secondary.

Sutton has been back with the team since the first half of his suspension ended after Week 4. He’s currently allowed to be in meetings, work individually with strength and conditioning coaches and generally be around the team, but he can't practice.

Bishop is auditioning in a significant way for one more game at least. He showed out on a night with another undrafted No. 31 defensive back — Hall of Fame safety Donnie Shell — in the house for the 50th anniversary of the 1974 Super Bowl-winning team.

Transparent Tomlin?

For as guarded as he’s been in his interviews with local media, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin appears to be tipping his hand plenty in other settings.

On the WPXI broadcast of Steelers-Jets, at one point in the second quarter, play-by-play veteran Mike Tirico praised Tomlin’s transparency in their pre-production meeting. He relayed Tomlin’s comments that both Wilson and Justin Fields are capable of being the team’s No. 1 quarterback, though he isn’t exactly sure how or when that will be determined by their in-game performances.

Tirico’s longtime partner, Cris Collinsworth, added a major kicker with this Tomlin insight: “The final point was if I go back to Justin, it’s over; we’re staying there.”

That’s quite a piece of information for Collinsworth to put out there via Tomlin in a chat behind closed doors. And it puts this Wilson opportunity in a high-stakes light. Collinsworth also lauded Fields for how he reacted to being the backup, particularly his answer Thursday that he hasn’t played well enough.

“If you want to build your franchise around somebody, with that kind of answer, he would be my kind of guy,” Collinsworth said.

Earlier in the day, Tomlin’s pal Jay Glazer of FOX detailed a conversation between the two in which Tomlin supposedly told Glazer he was a “lone ranger” in making the decision to start Wilson over Fields. That report is now one of several that the quarterback switch was not met with universal agreement around the organization.

“We are in a tremendous situation where we are,” Wilson said postgame. “I think there’s a lot of outside noise that makes it seem like it’s a negative thing, and this rivalry internal. It's not, man. We just want to win. That’s what we’re focused on. I’ve got to give Justin Fields credit, just all the things he was able to do, how great he’s been playing. He inspires me every day with how he works and vice versa. We have a great relationship. He’s a tremendous quarterback. He’s a franchise quarterback. He’s a leader.”

Quirky sequence

The Jets’ second touchdown was sort of like when a basketball coach is trying to call a timeout on a fast break, only for one of his players to pull up and hit a 3-pointer. Interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich wanted a replay review on a Breece Hall run that was stopped short just shy of the goal line.

But Ulbrich couldn’t get the challenge flag out of his pocket and onto the field of play in time to stop the next snap. Rodgers flipped a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tyler Conklin for an easy score to make it 13-6 with 5:29 left in the first half, and Ulbrich was bailed out.

The ensuing extra point was blocked by Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, but he was called for an illegal leverage penalty. Fitzpatrick was flagged for pushing off of a blocker with his right hand and jumping. Steelers special teams coordinator Danny Smith went ballistic on the sideline, yelling expletives at the officials.

“It looks more like a touch than a push-off,” NBC rules interpreter and former NFL referee Terry McAulay said on the broadcast.

Scary sight

There was a lengthy stoppage in play when Jets backup offensive lineman Xavier Newman was loaded onto a backboard and carted off midway through the third quarter. Newman injured his neck on a hit from linebacker Patrick Queen on a block along the sideline during Bishop’s return on the second interception.

Jets players crowded around Newman as he was immobilized in their bench area. Newman was already an injury fill-in himself, stepping in for starting right guard Alijah Vera-Tucker, who exited with an ankle injury. NBC sideline reporter Melissa Stark said Newman did have movement in his limbs and squeezed a staff member’s hand.

For the Steelers, nose tackle Montravius Adams left early with a knee injury and didn’t return. Adams was initially designated as questionable after Friday’s practice, then upgraded to no injury status, and now he’s had another setback.

Steelers starting cornerback Donte Jackson was shaken up trying to tackle Hall in the first half, apparently dealing with right shoulder discomfort. The team said Jackson would return to the game after having his shoulder checked, but he was replaced by James Pierre for the entire second half.