Steelers' James Pierre Picks Off Cousin Lamar Jackson, Caps Off Breakout Week with Statement Performance
BALTIMORE - There are interceptions, and then there are family interceptions. On Sunday, James Pierre pulled off one of the most memorable picks of the NFL season - not just because it was a highlight-reel, one-handed snag, but because it came at the expense of his cousin, Lamar Jackson.
Pierre, who grew up playing alongside Jackson on the Northwest Broward Raiders youth football team in South Florida, finally got one over on his cousin - and it just happened to come on a big stage in a big moment. But if you think he’s going to gloat about it, think again.
“Not necessarily, no,” Pierre said with a grin when asked if he planned to rub it in. “It’s just my mom will be talking about it a lot.”
That interception, which helped the Steelers edge out the Ravens 27-22, was a turning point in the game - and a moment Jackson himself admitted was on him.
“I was trying to make something happen,” Jackson said. “It was like third down.
I tried to throw it to Rasheen [Ali], but I threw it too light. He just made a good play on it with a one-handed interception.”
It was a risky throw, and Pierre made him pay - with style.
But that wasn’t the only time Pierre made his presence felt this week. Just days earlier, in a dominant 34-12 win over the Bengals, Pierre turned in one of his best performances as a pro.
He racked up six tackles (three solo), broke up two passes, and capped it all off with a 34-yard scoop-and-score that sealed the game. It was the kind of performance that doesn’t just show up on the stat sheet - it changes games.
And don’t overlook his role in slowing down Cincinnati’s dynamic duo of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Chase was limited to just three catches for 30 yards, while Higgins managed three grabs for 63 yards and a touchdown. Pierre was in the mix all game long, helping keep one of the league’s most explosive receiving corps in check.
“He’s grown throughout the years,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said. “He’s gotten better with each and every year he’s been here, with roles and his ability to respond to opportunity and so forth. There’s a veteran, high level of consistency that we’re seeing right now.”
And Tomlin’s not wrong. Over the past month, Pierre has been playing at a different level - and it’s no coincidence that his emergence has coincided with the Steelers moving on from veteran corner Darius Slay. Pierre hasn’t just filled the void - he’s elevated the secondary.
“That boy balling,” said fellow cornerback Joey Porter Jr. “I told him, I said that was a nice catch.
He’s been making plays. We just love the energy he brings on the field.”
Energy, confidence, and now, production. Pierre’s recent stretch has been a statement - not just to the Steelers' coaching staff, but to the rest of the league. He’s gone from a rotational piece to a key contributor in a defense that’s finding its rhythm late in the season.
And while he might keep the trash talk to a minimum when it comes to his cousin, don’t be surprised if that interception ends up framed somewhere in the Pierre household - or at the very least, brought up at every family gathering for the foreseeable future.