It didn’t take long for Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett to have a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame — sort of.
Pickett, who started 12 games last season, had quite a few memorable moments from his rookie season, including the Christmas Eve matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders at Acrisure Stadium in Week 16.
That night — just a few days after the passing of Steelers’ Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris, who was set to be immortalized by the Steelers’ franchise with his jersey retirement — Pickett led yet another late-game comeback for the black and gold. He fired a 14-yard strike to rookie receiver George Pickens for the game-winning touchdown with 46 seconds left, lifting the Steelers to a 13-10 win on an emotional night, keeping the Steelers’ playoff hopes alive.
The ball that Pickett completed to Pickens is now on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
“[Pickens] has a middle read route,” Pickett said, regarding the game-winning touchdown to Pickens, via the team’s YouTube channel. “George did an incredible job of reading that. The backside safety was hanging over to Pat’s side. I just wanted to hold him long enough with my eyes to make the throw to George down the seam. It worked out really well.”
Pickett finding Pickens for the score late in the Week 16 matchup put the former Pitt Panthers star in position to enter the NFL record books.
The following week, Pickett led another heroic game-winning drive, this time on the road against the Baltimore Ravens. He found running back Najee Harris for a 10-yard touchdown out of the backfield with 56 seconds left, giving Pickett his fourth game-winning/fourth quarter comeback drive of his rookie season. All four occurred in the second half of the season.
Pickett had game-winning drives against the New Orleans Saints, Indianapolis Colts, Raiders and Ravens down the stretch, helping the Steelers rebound from a 2-6 start and finish 9-8. They narrowly missed the AFC playoffs after the Miami Dolphins defeated the New York Jets in the final week of the regular season.
