For anyone who follows or is part of the Steelers organization, the offseason felt endless. After not making the playoffs for the second straight season, the were a lot of question marks lingering over the team. And to see those question marks get answered, you need to see the team play.
Well, the answers weren’t great in Week One. The Steelers got dominated on both sides of the ball in a 30-7 loss against the San Francisco 49ers at home. Perhaps the biggest question mark of all going into the season was the potential progression, or lack thereof, from QB Kenny Pickett.
Pickett certainly didn’t give an answer that Steelers fans loved as he and the offense struggled to move the ball. And he was at a loss at why plays that he routinely makes he simply didn’t on Sunday in an interview posted to the Steelers’ website.
“It was just off a little bit.” Pickett admitted. “I can’t explain why, I felt good going into it. It happens. You’re playing in the NFL. It happens. I’m itching to get back out there Monday and play.”
Pickett posted a 68.4 QBR in Week One, which ranked just 26th in the league. He also posted his first multi-interception game since Week Seven of last season. Turnovers were a problem for him early on when he took over the starting job last season, as he threw eight interceptions in his first five games. That looked to be behind him, however, as he threw just one over his last seven starts of the 2022 campaign. That’s not an issue he wanted to carry into 2023.
After being a trendy breakout pick heading into his second year, a lot of people have seemingly cooled on Pickett heading into Week Two. And while this is a valid conclusion based on how he played in his first game of the season, that’s all it is, just one game. If Pickett and the Steelers end up making the playoffs and he shows growth throughout the season, this game will be an afterthought rather than a warning sign.
It’s easy to overreact to Week One, as everyone is champing at the bit for things to talk about after eight months of no football. But Pickett knows that all it will take for him to get back in the good graces of fans is a good game and a win on Monday night. And that’s why he’s itching to get back out there and prove the non-believers wrong.
