The Pittsburgh Steelers got some good news on the injury front with quarterback Kenny Pickett. The 25-year-old suffered a bone bruise against the Houston Texans on a fourth-and-one try when he slipped out of the pocket and was met immediately by Texans defensive end, Johnathan Greenard. Pickett left the game hobbling to the sideline and was replaced by Mitch Trubisky for the remainder of the contest.
USA Today
Steelers' Kenny Pickett is sacked on fourth-and-one against the Houston Texans.
Head Coach Mike Tomlin said in his weekly press conference Pickett is scheduled to practice on Wednesday and that Pickett's comfort level and quality of work will determine whether the team decides to go with him or Trubisky in their next game. Tomlin emphatically said the former Chicago Bears first-round pick would start on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens should Pickett not be ready to go.
Pickett has struggled mightily this season as the team clawed out wins against the Cleveland Browns and Las Vegas Raiders, but were demolished by the San Francisco 49ers and the Texans. The University of Pittsburgh product has completed 60.6% of his passes for 803 yards, including four touchdowns and four interceptions. Tomlin said he's looking for Pickett to improve his decision-making as the team tries to rally from a very tough defeat in Houston.
"I want to see him make fluid decisions, particularly in the early stages of games," Tomlin said. "I think as plays get extended, particularly early in games, it increases the potential for offensive negativity and defensive positivity."
In 2023, the Steelers offense has had trouble starting on the right foot. In the season opener against the 49ers, the team had five drives in the first half ending in three plays with four punts and an interception. They finally found some momentum in a two-minute drill capped off by a touchdown throw from Pickett to tight end Pat Freiermuth.
Against the Browns in Week 2, it was more of the same. The offense opened the game with an interception by Pickett while trying to target George Pickens. On the following drive, the team ended up way behind the sticks due to a penalty on Chukwuma Okorafor and were forced to punt. The team followed it up with a fumble by receiver Gunner Olszewski that was recovered by the Browns.
Pittsburgh got a better start against the Raiders in their best offensive showing of the season. After another quick three-and-out to start the game, the unit came out and Picket found Calvin Austin III for a 72-yard score.
Associated Press
Steelers' Calvin Austin III breaks away for a touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 3 of the 2023 season.
The team had another poor start offensively, in a game where not much of anything was positive for the offense against the Texans. Outside of Najee Harris running the ball in the third quarter, the unit looked very stale and it started awfully. On the first drive, Pickett looked to try and find Austin deep again, but the ball was underthrown and picked off by former Steelers cornerback, Steven Nelson. The team punted on the next four drives to end the half with no points.
Tomlin Stresses The Offensive Issues Aren't All On Pickett
When a team is struggling to this degree on offense (ranked 29th in total yards and 25th in points per Pro Football Reference), it is not the doing of one player and Tomlin acknowledged that.
steelers.com
Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett and Head Coach Mike Tomlin watch from the sideline.
Tomlin said the attention to detail needs to improve for all the players on offense, not just the quarterback. He said more than once during his press conference he's looking for more rhythm plays.
"We've got to be assignment-perfect if we want the ball to come out on time," he said. "Guys need to be winning one-on-one matchups and doing so quickly. We need to protect him [Pickett]."
The one area that Tomlin focused on that was specific to Pickett was the extension of plays. While Pickett's movement from the pocket has helped him create plays like Darnell Washington's first career catch or Harris' long reception, both in Week 4, it has also gotten him into a lot of trouble.
Tomlin didn't explicitly say he'll be putting a leash on Pickett, but his message on extending plays was clear. He wants his quarterback to make better decisions by staying in the pocket, especially early in games.
What did you think of Tomlin's comments? Is Pickett doing too much rolling out of the pocket? Comment below!
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