Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, Kenny Pickett spoke to the media following the team’s 10-13 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Christmas Eve night. The win was emotionally charged despite being a “dirty, sloppy game” according to the first-year signal-caller.
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - DECEMBER 24: Kenny Pickett #8 of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks to pass during the third quarter at Acrisure Stadium on December 24, 2022 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Gaelen Morse/Getty Images)
Steelers and Kenny Pickett Overcome Obstacles to Win
The NFL planned this game well in advance, giving the Steelers and the Raiders the spotlight with a primetime, holiday game, to pay homage to the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception.
Fate is often cruel, and what no one could have predicted was that the game, and all the festivities, would have to be celebrated without the man it all centered around - former Steelers running back, Franco Harris. Harris passed away just days before the anniversary. In addition to honoring the play that launched a dynasty, Pittsburgh planned to retire Harris’ jersey number.
The Steelers had to reconfigure the celebration now that Harris would be celebrated posthumously and then the weather added another wrinkle. The temperature at kickoff was below 0 degrees with the wind chill factor. The weather created issues on both sides of the ball and created a messy game.
The Steelers offense was unable to score a touchdown for the vast majority of the game. Unfortunately, the cold also impacts kickers, and Chris Boswell went 2 for 4 last night, missing kicks he would normally make.
The Steelers defense did its part to mostly shut down the Raiders. Three Steelers picked Derek Carr off three times in total - Arthur Maulet, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Cam Sutton. As the game was nearing the end of the third quarter, Alex Highsmith had a critical sack that forced the Raiders to punt, which led to another Steelers field goal, making the score 10-6.
The final drive of the game, led by Pickett, was a thing of beauty. Everyone seemed to participate in helping move the ball down the field whether it was by blocking, running, or receiving. The drive ultimately ended with George Pickens making one of his amazing catches in the endzone to give the Steelers the win.
Got that dawg in him
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) December 25, 2022
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After the game was over, Pickett sat down to speak with the media. He was asked if he went up to the defense at any point during the game to tell them to be patient, that the offense was working on “getting things together” - was that something a rookie would do or not? Pickett responded:
"I've never seen any other quarterback do that. We're focused, you know obviously, we're doing everything we can, I'm not going to go reassure the defense. They know what we're doing. They know we're working hard and trying everything we can to put points on the board."
He went on to speak about how it may not have been the kind of win the team had hoped for, but it was still a hard-fought win:
“You know it was a dirty, sloppy game. We had opportunities that we didn't take advantage of and we need to do that as an offense. You know I'm pretty sure the boys on the defensive side know that we're doing everything we can to put it in the end zone.”
The reporters asked Pickett what it says about the offense that they were able to come together during the final drive. Pickett responded:
“Yeah, I mean I've been saying all that matters is we've got the W. Obviously it wasn't pretty, it wasn't what we wanted. I mean the conditions were what they were, and I felt like everyone was locked in on what we had to do. We didn't let that affect us and you know we came together, executed at a high level for that final two-minute drive, and got in the end zone.”
Pittsburgh Steelers stop Las Vegas QB David Carr. Photo Credit - Jared Wickerham/Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers offense continues to show it is trending in the right direction. They were able to get that “monkey off their back” by beating the Raiders for the first time in recent years. Pickett shows maturity and poise during difficult circumstances and conditions and because of that, he was able to lead the team to victory.
What did you think of the offensive performance last night? How do you think Pickett handled leading the team in adverse conditions? Click to comment below!
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