After watching QB Kenny Pickett tear it up in the preseason, plenty of Steeler Nation as well as the rest of the NFL landscape were expecting him to come out guns blazing in the regular season starting Week One against the San Francisco 49ers.
That wasn’t the case as Pickett looked scattershot at times with his accuracy as well as inconsistent in his decision making, throwing one touchdown and two interceptions after posting a perfect passer rating through three preseason games. For many, the stark contrast in play had many feeling hoodwinked by Pickett’s preseason performance, believing that the breakout was indeed here.
Sportscaster Joe Buck jumped on The Pat McAfee Show Monday prior to calling the Steelers game tonight against the Cleveland Browns and was asked by show co-host A.J. Hawk what he expects to see from Pittsburgh’s offense as the Steeler attempt to get that bad taste out of their months from last weekend.
“I think it’s opportunity, A.J., for Kenny to have a good game,” Buck said on The Pat McAfee Show. “I hope so because he’s a really likable guy. He finished great last year. He had a good preseason, and I think it’s a good reminder though for all of us to not put too much stock in what we see during the preseason. It’s a trap. And so, the jury is out. He’s gotta do it again.”
Right, wrong, or otherwise, Buck has a good point about the preseason being a trap when it comes to placing expectations on a player or a team in general. Sure, Pickett had moments of brilliance against in exhibition play (some coming against Buffalo’s first-team defense), but it’s a different situation and environment than playing in the regular season where the bullets are live and both teams are playing their top guys that are healthy.
Many wondered if Pickett would be able to build off his rookie season, which was pedestrian from a statistical perspective. He turned in a lights-out preseason, going 13-of-15 passing for 199 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 13.3 yards per pass attempt. However, Week One looked more along the lines of what we saw to start the 2022 campaign.
Either way, every NFL game is an opportunity to write a new narrative, and Pickett must do that tonight against Cleveland. The success he had in preseason play is over. So are the misfortunes of last weekend’s blowout loss. Pickett must go out and prove himself again, stacking good performances on top of each other, starting with the Browns tonight to right the ship and get Pittsburgh going in the right direction as it chases a playoff berth.
