GREEN BAY – Two defensive players received special mention Monday from Head Coach Matt LaFleur for their efforts in the Sunday night victory in Pittsburgh:
Linebacker Quay Walker and cornerback Carrington Valentine.
Walker was credited with five tackles and two passes broken up, but that's not what stood out the most. It was his composure in a difficult moment.
Partway through the fourth quarter, Steelers running back Jaylen Warren ran for five yards to make it third-and-2 on the Pittsburgh 33-yard line. With the Packers leading 29-19 and just under 10 minutes left, the game was still very much in the balance.
On the way back to the huddle, Steelers receiver DK Metcalf intentionally stuck his fingers into Walker's facemask as if to poke him in the eye. A few moments later, he grabbed Walker's facemask and yanked on it.
The flags flew, and Metcalf was penalized 15 yards for the personal foul. Walker? He didn't even react to the multiple provocations.
"That's not easy to not respond, but in my eyes, that's the epitome of being team first," LaFleur said. "That was a critical penalty in the game. You're talking going from third-and-2 to third-and-17. Now you're in a (no big plays) defense, and they've got to check the ball down and they're punting. So, yeah, it was a big-time play. The way I look at it, that was as good as a takeaway."
It was the best example yet of how much Walker has matured over his four NFL seasons. Back in his rookie year of 2022, the first-round draft pick was ejected from two games for losing his cool in similar circumstances.
The first ejection was in Buffalo in a confrontation with someone on the Bills' sideline. The second occurred in the regular-season finale at Lambeau Field against the Lions with the Packers needing to win to qualify for the playoffs.
Walker spent that offseason living with his regrets and working to control his emotions better. He's mentioned going to counseling and doing meditation, among other steps. There hadn't really been any further incidents one way or another until Sunday night, and he admitted to the media afterward his rookie self would've reacted the wrong way.
Now in a contract year after his fifth-year option wasn't exercised, Walker has been touted by General Manager Brian Gutekunst as a player in the team's long-term plans, and he was voted one of the team captains on defense this season.
"I mean, he's wearing a 'C' on his jersey for a reason," LaFleur said. "He's definitely earned it. Just the growth, you've seen it as a player. He's playing at a really high level right now. But the maturity that he's shown …
"I told him after the game I was really proud of him for how he represented what we want to be about, just playing between the whistles, playing nasty between the whistles, and then let them do all that extra stuff. I thought that just was a really mature moment for him."
As for Valentine, the third-year cornerback started in place of veteran free agent Nate Hobbs and played one of the better games in his career. It might not have been as good as his performance in Seattle last December, but it ranks up there.
Valentine had been playing anywhere from a dozen to two dozen defensive snaps per game, sharing some time with Hobbs, until last week's trip to Arizona. Against the Cardinals, Hobbs played all 76 defensive snaps while Valentine played just two, a season low.
But Hobbs had a rough game in coverage, and despite votes of confidence from the coaching staff throughout the week (which may have served to keep the Steelers from knowing a change was coming), Valentine got the call. He played 62 of 63 defensive snaps in Pittsburgh while Hobbs played just four.
Valentine was credited with just one pass breakup statistically, but his competitive fight for the ball and against the receivers was regularly on display. The one official PBU was crucial, as on third-and-3 he ran stride for stride with Metcalf on a deep seam ball early in the second quarter. He reached across to get a piece of what would've been a 32-yard TD. The Steelers subsequently kicked a field goal.
Late in the game, he also battled like heck to get the ball out from receiver Roman Wilson in the end zone on a 21-yard score. Replay assist eventually ruled Wilson had secured the TD catch before Valentine wrestled the ball away, but the effort nonetheless reflected his playstyle the entire game.
"CV got an opportunity, and he went out there, and I thought he played really competitively the entire game," said LaFleur, who suggested Valentine's performance in practice earned him this chance while he and Hobbs are competing for playing time.
"I know even on the touchdown catch, I just loved how he competed for the football. I thought that was big time, and it didn't go our way in that moment, but I thought, all in all, he showed physicality. He was challenging guys. There were just no gimmies."
LaFleur noted the competition at corner will continue, and Sunday night was an example of what the coaches are looking for.
"That's how we want to play," LaFleur said. "We want those corners to challenge."
