Kenny Pickett gives the Steelers hope, despite turnover-riddled debut

The Pittsburgh Steelers turned to Kenny Pickett in the second half, but turnovers loomed. Here’s why the rookie QB offers hope despite the loss to the Jets.

I’m convinced that those who are trying to drag Kenny Pickett through the mud right now either didn’t watch the game or have predetermined that they aren’t going to like this kid. Either way, let’s get our facts straight before we start pointing the finger.

Yes, the Pittsburgh Steelers lost at home in Week 4 to the New York Jets, and yes, Pickett did throw three interceptions after coming in for Mitch Trubisky in the second half. However, the performance on the hole doesn’t look nearly as bad as the numbers suggest.

Two of Pickett’s three picks were off deflected passes while the other was on a last-second hail mary attempt. Though his first two interceptions may have been on ill-advised passes, it’s hard to get too upset with Pickett’s performance in his NFL debut.

Pickett gives Steelers hope despite turnovers

I can’t sit here and pretend that giving the ball away three times in a half doesn’t matter. However, it was clear to see that Kenny Pickett was giving this offense a bigger spark than it has seen in years. Though his performance wasn’t perfect, Pickett’s offense scored 14 points in the second half after Trubisky muster up just 6 points in quarters one and two.

Additionally, the defense deserves a deal of the blame here. They were constantly gashed for big plays on important downs late in this contest that kept the chains moving for New York and didn’t truly allow for Pickett to mount a comeback drive.

Meanwhile, Pickett finished the game by completing 10 of 13 passes for an impressive 9.2 yards per attempt, via ESPN. Already, he seems to see the field better than Trubisky and he certainly isn’t about to shy away from passing the ball over the middle — something he did often and well against the Jets.

With a Steelers offense now led by Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh fans can have hope that their team now has the firepower to mount a game-winning drive or perhaps even keep up with some respectable NFL offenses.

It’s important to remember that Pickett was doing all of this on a whim and without any first-team reps in practice. Now that Mike Tomlin made the decision to go with Pickett, he is going to have time to prepare for his opponent as opposed to being thrust into action.

It’s clear to see that Kenny Pickett offers a spark and fire this team previously lacked, and his teammates will have no problem rallying around him. It wasn’t the picture-perfect debut we had all waited and hoped for, but I was very encouraged by what I saw from Pickett. He offers this team hope for a future.