The Pittsburgh Steelers can’t be encouraged by the outcome of their Week 11 game against the Bengals, but they can take some comfort in Kenny Pickett.
This was far from a perfect game by the Pittsburgh Steelers — that pretty much goes across the board for everybody. Mike Tomlin essentially admitted that he was outcoached against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 11, while the execution on both sides of the ball wasn’t nearly good enough.
Eventually, this resulted in a 37-30 loss that wasn’t as close as the score would indicate. This game showed us that the Steelers are still pretty far away from legitimately competing. However, I was encouraged by some of the things I saw from Kenny Pickett.
After re-watching the game against the Bengals, I came away relieved to see that Pickett had made some progress. While he still needs to do a lot more improving down the stretch in his rookie season, here are three signs that showed why Pickett could be a franchise quarterback for the Steelers:
Pickett saw some success down the field
For really the first time all season, Kenny Pickett showed that he can complete more than just one or two big plays down the field. If you look at his passing chart from Next Gen Stats, it was actually quite impressive. The rookie QB connected on 7 of 14 attempts beyond 10 air yards and was 4 of 7 on passes that traveled beyond 20 yards.
This number could have been even better if George Pickens hadn’t dropped a nearly 50-yard pass that was an absolute dime in the fourth quarter. Obviously, Pickett still missed some opportunities down the field. He overthrew Pickens in the middle of the endzone in the first half and was off the mark on a few other passes over the middle of the field. However, this was a big step in the right direction.
Pickett’s ability to extend the play raises the upside of Steelers offense
Having plus mobility hasn’t been a requirement for a franchise quarterback in the past, but in today’s ever-changing game, perhaps it almost should be. If you look at the top quarterbacks around the league right now, every single one of them has the ability to raise the ceiling of the offense because of their ability to extend the play.
This doesn’t simply mean that a quarterback needs to take off and run with the football if nothing is there. While Pickett can certainly do this (as we saw against the Bengals and Saints), it’s more important that he uses his mobility to make the first guy miss, keep his eyes down the field, and extend the play.
In terms of doing these things, I thought this was Pickett’s most encouraging game with the Steelers to date. On numerous occasions, the rookie quarterback found a crease, got outside the pocket, and delivered an accurate throw on the run.
Obviously, quarterbacks must have the ability to consistently pass from the pocket, but making plays outside of structure is a real treat that can keep drives alive and raises the upside of the offense. Pickett has this ability, it just needs to be refined a bit.
Pickett took some shots vs Bengals, but stood tough
Kenny Pickett isn’t perfect when it comes to this (no rookie is). He still needs to be a bit more patient in the pocket before looking to bail. However, we saw some very promising signs from him in Week 11 that showcased his ability to deliver some nice footballs under pressure.
The best example of this came on a corner route when Pickett connected with George Pickens for a deep touchdown. As the Bengals sent the blitz, the pressure barreled down on Pickett and he took a lick in the chops immediately after delivering the ball, but he didn’t let the pressure in his face affect the pass.
We witnessed a few of these plays against Cincinnati. Instead of ducking for cover or trying to find an escape route, I was encouraged by Pickett standing tough in the pocket. Not only that, but after some of these plays, he would get up smiling and chatting with the defender that hit him.
Pickett doesn’t seem to be phased or rattled when he gets flattened by a big defensive tackle or a blitzing linebacker. This is a great sign that he has the moxie and grit to be a franchise quarterback.
The reality is it could be another year or so before we really know if Kenny Pickett will be the long-term franchise quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Though the results weren’t perfect against the Bengals in Week 11. We certainly saw some very encouraging signs that he could be ‘the guy.’