Grades: Three Steelers defenders who earned As this week
By Tim Weaver
Brandon Boykin
All year long we have been banging the drum about Brandon Boykin getting more playing time. Over the last few weeks it seems that Keith Butler and Mike Tomlin finally woke up and realized that they were wasting an incredible cornerback by leaving him on their bench.
Since Boykin started seeing more snaps in Week 13 he has been one of the NFL’s better shut down corners. According to Pro Football Focus he has earned the seventh highest coverage grade in the league since then:
Brandon Boykin played just 23 snaps before Wk 13. Since then (132 snaps), he’s allowed a 74.3 QBR and earned @PFF’s 7th-best coverage grade.
— Pat Thorman (@Pat_Thorman) December 21, 2015
Boykin nearly had another interception on Sunday and severely limited every receiver he covered. With him in the lineup, the Steelers secondary is a whole lot deeper than they were earlier this year.