It’s obvious that Pittsburgh Steelers QB Kenny Pickett is just about as bad through the first two weeks of the NFL season as he was good during the preseason. However, during the Steelers’ 26-22 win over the Cleveland Browns Monday night, despite Pickett’s struggles, he wasn’t the worst quarterback on the field.
That reality was reflected in the newest edition of NFL.com’s QB Index by Nick Shook. In fact, Pickett moved up a spot from last week to 27. That’s mostly thanks to Cleveland QB Deshaun Watson falling nine spots to 28th.
“Pickett still hasn’t shifted out of first gear,” Shook wrote. “His best completion against the Browns was largely the product of blown coverage, with George Pickens making a catch and running to the end zone on a 71-yard touchdown. Otherwise, he struggled with pressure and threw a telegraphed interception… Pittsburgh did him zero favors by failing to establish a legitimate run threat, putting Pickett behind the sticks all night.”
Unfortunately for Steelers fans, including the ones in Acrisure Stadium on Monday night, Pickett and the offense are still struggling to get out of their own way. The offense that scored five touchdowns on five drives in the preseason is a rapidly fading memory.
Offensive coordinator Matt Canada is catching almost all the flak from the fan base (in case you didn’t hear the “Fire Canada” chants during the game). There have been plenty of instances that have left fans and analysts scratching their heads at best and screaming at the television at worst.
However, as Shook wrote, there have also been instances through the first two weeks where Pickett has made mistakes, be it simply missing passes or making poor decisions. Then you factor in some serious issues on the offensive line, and you can see that Pittsburgh’s trifecta of problems has Pickett anchored deep in the NFL QB Index. It’s also why the offense has as many touchdowns through two weeks as the defense had on Monday night (two).
All that said, it could be worse at quarterback. Watson threw an interception on the first play from scrimmage last Monday night, a pass that bounced around before Alex Highsmith snagged it and returned it for a touchdown. Watson also fumbled twice throughout the night, including the one in the fourth quarter that T.J. Watt returned for the game-winning touchdown.
“When the Browns needed him to carry the team, he flat-out failed to deliver…” Shook wrote. “There is way too much bad with Watson right now.”
At least Pickett isn’t actively destroying the Steelers’ chances of defeating a division rival on national television while also hamstringing his team’s draft capital — the Browns have no first-round pick in 2024 due to the Watson trade — and salary cap for the foreseeable future.
