AHKELLO WITHERSPOON
Cornerback
When a team is losing, 23-0, at halftime, and then by 29-0 midway through the third quarter, an opponent hoping for a comeback is going to have to come up with some takeaways. That's takeaways, as in plural. And when the opposing quarterback had come into the game with only three interceptions in 446 pass attempts through the first 12 games of the season, that's not a simple assignment.
But in the second half against the Vikings, cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon delivered what the Steelers needed. Over a span of four Minnesota offensive possessions, Witherspoon ended two of them with interceptions, and the Steelers cashed in both of them with touchdowns as they mounted a furious comeback that ultimately fell short in a 36-28 loss.
In addition to the interceptions, Witherspoon finished with four tackles and three passes defensed, and he is the Steelers Digest Player of the Week.
Also considered were Ben Roethlisberger, who completed 28-of-40 (70 percent) for 308 yards, with three touchdowns, one interception, and a rating of 107.1; Najee Harris, who rushed for 94 yards on 20 carries (4.7 average) with had a 1-yard touchdown, and he added three catches for 10 more yards and a 3-yard touchdown to finish with 104 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns; Minkah Fitzpatrick, who had six tackles and a pass defensed on a third down to force a punt during the furious fourth-quarter rally; and Cam Heyward, who had six tackles, including one for loss.
