(Photo via Katharine Lotze from Getty Images)
Mike Hilton continued to build on his impressive 2020 campaign with splash plays as he picked off Deshaun Watson early in the fourth quarter which led to a 12-play, 79-yard scoring drive that was capped off by a 12-yard touchdown run by James Conner. Roethlisberger completed to Smith-Schuster for the score on the two-point conversion and the Steelers took a 28-21 lead that they wouldn’t give up. The scoring drive took 7:03 off the clock. Hilton's interception was a huge play in the game and the momentum really swung in the Steelers favor for the rest of the fourth quarter.
"The defense didn't blink," Mike Tomlin said. "We gave up some possessions early. Sometimes that can put a bad taste in your mouth. We didn't allow it to spoil the day. They just played one snap at a time. We were able to get some significant stops in the second half. I thought the turnover by Mike Hilton was enormous."
Tomlin had high praise for the 5-foot-9, 184-pound slot cornerback out of Ole Miss in his post-game press conference.
"He's just a tough little football player, Tomlin said of Hilton. "He's a football player first and nickel second. He's good in the run game. He's solid in the passing game as well, and that provides a platform for him to be noticed in a variety of spaces."