Pittsburgh Steelers QB Kenny Pickett used his legs well in the team’s 23-18 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, running three times for 11 yards. He picked up a key first down on the ground and also had an explosive run called back due to an illegal shift, but he was also able to use his legs to keep plays alive and find receivers downfield. Pickett talked about being able to use his legs and why it was so important when going up against a pass rusher like Maxx Crosby.
“I think we did a great job of mixing it up, moving the pocket. They got a great pass rusher in 98, I didn’t want to be a sitting duck back there and give him a target that he can consistently rush at and change the launch point up. There was times when I was able to extend and find some guys downfield and that was also a plus, too,” Pickett said via the team’s YouTube channel.
He said it’s something that he needs to continue to do in order to help the team.
“If a pass rusher can key you in the pocket every single snap, it doesn’t help your tackles out. So the fact that we can move around and get me on the move outside I think only helps us.”
The Steelers went up against two very good pass rushers in each of the last two weeks, with the San Francisco 49ers and Cleveland Browns having plenty of guys who can bring some pass-rush juice. It would’ve been nice to see Pickett use his legs to make some plays when going up against pass rushers like Nick Bosa and Myles Garrett, but the problem was that he was constantly under pressure from all sides. The Steelers were also able to have success on a few sprint outs plays, including on a key third-down conversion with under two minutes left to WR Allen Robinson II.
For the Raiders, Crosby is really the team’s only lethal pass rusher, so Pickett was able to extend his legs to escape the former Eastern Michigan standout, who had 12.5 sacks last season. Crosby still made his impact felt, with two quarterback hits and the Raiders’ lone sack, but Pickett did a good job making sure he wasn’t a sitting duck and making plays with his legs.
That’s something that we should hopefully see more of out of Pickett going forward. He’s got some speed and athleticism, and last season he ran for 237 yards. That was a number that I expected to shoot up this season, but tonight was really the first time we saw Pickett consistently make plays out of the pocket.
If that continues, that’ll help the second-year quarterback get more comfortable and, like he said, help out the offense as a whole.
