The Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns were locked in an ugly AFC North defensive battle.
Then cornerback DJ Turner picked off quarterback Joe Flacco to effectively end the game.
Rookie pass rusher Shemar Stewart was delighted by the outcome.
“Man, it felt great,” Stewart said. “I’m like, ‘We’ve got this one in the bag. Let’s go home, baby!’”
And Stewart certainly played a big role in the victory.
For a guy who was supposed to be a project, he looked polished on a number of plays, finishing with the second best win rate of all rookie defensive linemen in Week 1, three QB hurries, and a Pro Football Focus grade of 83.2, the third best on the Bengals’ defense.
And he even helped stop the run, with 41.7% of his play against the run being positively graded.
Stewart is far ahead of where most thought he’d be at this point, which is incredibly encouraging considering his athletic profile is off the charts. Once he puts it all together, he’ll be a nightmare for opposing offenses.
