Steelers QB Kenny Pickett has improved where it matters most

Kenny Pickett still has a long way to go when it comes to his development, but statistics show that the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback has improved where it matters most. 

People are always going to have a hard time being objective when it comes to Kenny Pickett. That’s just the nature of the beast. Because he spent five years with the Pittsburgh Panthers prior to his NFL journey, fans will unfortunately always have some biases in the back of their head.

Some think that Pickett’s performance as of late has been phenomenal, while others are quick to criticize every little mistake. One thing that Pittsburgh Steelers fans should be able to all agree on, however, is that Pickett has been an improved player since the bye week.

While the pessimists will be quick to chalk this up to facing an easy schedule after the break, the evidence suggests that the results stretch beyond which opponent Pittsburgh is facing.

After being thrust into action against the New York Jets all the way back in Week 4, Pickett had just 2 passing touchdowns to go with 9 turnovers in his four starts leading up to the bye week, according to NFL on CBS. This resulted in a 1-3 record for the Steelers and a 66.8 passer rating for the rookie.

Since then, things have improved by leaps and bounds. Pickett has increased his passer rating by nearly 20 points since the bye (up to 85.9 average over the last four games) and the team has a 3-1 record during this span. However, the most noteworthy statistic is that he hasn’t turned the ball over a single time in the past four games.

Do Steelers have the right game plan for Kenny Pickett?

The fact that he has taken such great care of the ball since the week off should have fans wondering: is this a result of Pittsburgh’s coaching or simply better decision-making by Pickett? The answer is truly a combination of both.

In the first half of games, Matt Canada has been more flexible with his playcalling. He seems to have scrapped some of the plays he runs so often and allows for more work over the middle of the field. While I may not agree with his decision to play such conservative football in the second half (as Pittsburgh’s offense has taken a nosedive over the final two quarters of play), the Steelers are still winning football games and Pickett isn’t turning the ball over.

I do believe that the rookie does deserve a lot of credit here as well. He has clearly progressed and shown ample improvement over his first 8 starts. Pickett is making better decisions with the football and isn’t forcing as many throws into congested areas. He seems to be seeing the field better.

Whether you are a believer in Kenny Pickett or not, all fans should be satisfied with the improvement he has shown since first becoming the starting quarterback for the Steelers. If he continues to progress at this rate, we may just have a franchise QB on our hands.