3 biggest overreactions to Steelers Week 1 game

Overreaction No. 2: Patrick Peterson was a bad free agent signing

Now, I'll be the first to jump out and say that I was not a huge fan of signing free agent CB Patrick Peterson during the 2023 offseason. I have done a lot of research on cornerback shelf life, and the fact that he was 33 years old when the Steelers signed him means his performance could fall off a cliff at any given moment.

In addition, stable metrics from Pro Football Focus showed that Peterson was one of the worst cornerbacks in the NFL last year in man coverage as a starter on the Vikings. The collection of these things has me concerned.

In Week 1 against the 49ers, Peterson was credited with giving up two touchdown passes. While it certainly wasn't a good game from the former All-Pro, the context is important here. On the first TD allowed, Peterson lost his footing and nearly slipped to the ground when trying to cut with the receiver. On the second TD surrendered, Peterson had tight coverage, but the ball placement and catch were exceptional in the corner of the endzone.

This doesn't give him a pass for his performance, but things did not go his way. Peterson also nearly picked off Brock Purdy after undercutting a pass early in the game. We know that Patrick Peterson is a smart CB with ball skills, but he needs to be more consistent. Still, we will give him a bit of grace for his performance in Week 1 of his first game with the Steelers.