Kenny Pickett and the Pittsburgh Steelers offense are the talk of the NFL coming out of the preseason, thanks to an impressive three-game showing after a rough 2022 season.
As is well known at this point, Pickett and the Steelers played just five drives in the three preseason games. All five drives ended in touchdowns. The Steelers ran 28 plays, gained 315 yards and scored five touchdowns. Pickett was 13-of-15 for 199 yards and two scores and hooked up with wide receivers Diontae Johnson and George Pickens, and tight end Pat Freiermuth on some explosive plays in the preseason. All of it generated a ton of buzz and expectations for the Steelers moving forward.
Entering the Week One matchup against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday at Acrisure Stadium, Pickett isn’t worried about answering some of the questions that surround the Steelers’ new-look offense. Instead, Pickett is focused on the only thing that matters: winning the game.
“I’m not looking to prove anything. I’m looking to go out there and win, find a way to win,” Pickett told reporters earlier in the week, according to video via JET24 and FOX66. “This will be a battle for four quarters and that’s what we’re expecting. So, go in there and bring our best and get ready for a four-quarter battle.”
A ton of attention will surround Pickett entering his second season in the NFL and first full season at the helm of the Steelers, and rightfully so. He played quite well down the stretch as a rookie, helping Pittsburgh go 7-2, leading four fourth-quarter comebacks and orchestrated three game-winning drives.
Pickett looked very good in the preseason pushing the football down the field, giving his pass catchers chances to win in advantageous situations. He attacked the middle of the field, too, and helped generate those explosive plays.
The talk coming out of the preseason though is that the performance from the Steelers offense doesn’t count until the unit does it in games that matter, starting Sunday against the Niners. Pickett is just focused on winning the game, rather than showing that the offense’s performance in the preseason wasn’t a fluke.
Those aren’t empty words from Pickett, either. It’s something he’s stated time and time again since coming into the NFL. He doesn’t care how it looks on the field or in the stats sheet, just as long as the Steelers win the game. We’ll see if that’s enough for the Steelers to be celebrating a season-opening win again, this time at home, for the fourth-straight season.
