.@_jamane_ puts the game on ice with his first INT!#PITvsGB | #GoPackGo
📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/MTX0EBmMto
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) October 3, 2021
Green Bay Packers rookie cornerback Eric Stokes delivered the dagger during Sunday’s win over the Pittsburgh Steelers with his first career interception.
The Packers’ first-round pick intercepted Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger with 1:11 left in the fourth quarter, preserving Green Bay’s 27-17 advantage and allowing the Packers to kill the rest of the clock with kneel downs.
Stokes had Diontae Johnson blanketed in coverage and was in perfect position to make the turnover when Roethlisberger tried to create a big play down the sideline.
The rookie was rightfully excited leaving the field on Sunday:
Eric Stokes (@_jamane_ ) running into the locker room: “I called game, I called game!”
— Lily Zhao (@LilySZhao) October 3, 2021
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers was impressed with the way Stokes responded to a double move in the second half. It was something the Steelers had been setting up all game, but the rookie recognized the play and was in good coverage.
Coach Matt LaFleur said Stokes is “wired the right way.”
The rookie has been a full-time starter each of the last three games and is all but guaranteed to be a starter moving forward, especially after the Packers lost Jaire Alexander to a shoulder injury.
Stokes finished the game with a career-high eight tackles. He broke up another pass but was also dinged for a pass interference penalty, setting up a Steelers touchdown.
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