Steelers QB report card: Kenny Pickett let down in debut

Kenny Pickett failed to put up points against the Bills, but his Steelers teammates made his life very difficult. Here is how he performed in his first career start.

Kenny Pickett’s starting debut didn’t exactly go as planned for the Steelers, as they fell 38-3 against the Buffalo Bills. They were dominated in every conceivable way, and Pickett never really had a chance to get things going on offense for much of the game.

We have seen the play-calling and skill players let down the offense before this season, but this week was a whole new low. Dropped balls, 2nd-and-long runs, and predictable roll-out passes doomed the offense from the start. Despite the mess around him, Pickett still showed a lot of the things you want in a franchise QB.

Steelers Kenny Pickett shows toughness in loss

Regardless of how you feel about Kenny Pickett and his performance, there is no denying his toughness and poise for a first-time starter. He stood firm against a strong Bills front seven, completing 34 of 52 passes for 327 yards and an interception. The numbers don’t look great, but the passing game once again featured a lot of short throws to the sideline and throws underneath. The game plan was clearly designed to protect their young QB, but you can’t play that style of offense against this Bills defense.

Pickett may be a rookie, but he isn’t afraid of the moment. He is supremely confident and a very competitive player. The coaching staff should have put their faith in Pickett and been more aggressive early in the game. That would have given them a much better chance to keep pace with an explosive Bills offense. Instead, Matt Canada chose to rely on a run game and weapons that haven’t shown the ability to elevate the QB.

Steelers offensive weapons let Pickett down

Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool were much more productive this week after a dud last week, but the numbers are misleading. They combined for 110 yards on 10 catches, but it took 22 targets to get those yards. The rest of the receiving targets had a much more efficient 217 yards on 29 targets, catching 24 of them. Diontae especially had a rough time, dropping several passes that would have kept drives alive.

It’s hard enough to play well as a rookie QB even when your skill players are playing well, when they aren’t it becomes nearly impossible. George Pickens being by far the best receiver on Sunday is unacceptable, even with his talent. Claypool is in his third season and Diontae is coming off his best season as a pro. If they can’t be a positive force for Pickett in his rookie season, things won’t get much better for the offense.

Overall, Pickett was far from perfect in his first start. Only scoring three points doesn’t reflect how well he played, however. Until the Steelers move on from Matt Canada and the receivers play more consistently, we may not see the best of what Pickett can do. For now, though, he showed me enough to feel good about his future.

Grade: B