Kenny Pickett got the win. Don’t take that for granted. Winning in the NFL is hard. But he and the Pittsburgh Steelers offense still had an uninspiring night. A side from the occasional big play, they were clunky and could hardly get out of their own way. Like last week, they started things off in rough fashion, Pickett intercepted by Cleveland Browns’ safety Grant Delpit on third down of the Steelers’ first possession.
Speaking with reporters after the game, Pickett took the blame for a poor read.
“There’s a couple throws I wish I had back,” Pickett said via the team’s YouTube channel. “That pick early, should have worked away. [Delpit] came off Pat [Freiermuth]. He made a good play. I should have worked singled up with [Allen Robinson II].”
Here’s a look at the play.
Showing man, the Browns dropped into zone coverage instead, fooling Pickett and causing the poor throw. Instead of Delpit manning up on Freiermuth, he dropped into his hook/curl zone and read Pickett the whole way, picking him off.
Fortunately, the Steelers’ defense held and forced the Browns to settle for a field goal, a kick that Dustin Hopkins pushed wide left and left Cleveland without any points.
On the day, Pickett finished 15-of-30 for 222 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He’s still looking for the first multi-touchdown passing performance of his NFL career.
While he had his moments, standing tall in the pocket to take a shot on his 71-yard touchdown to WR George Pickens, his accuracy and decision-making continue to be a problem. He threw inaccurately and had a bizarre near-interception early in the second half, almost picked instead of throwing the ball out of bounds. The only receiver he showed any consistent chemistry with was Pickens, who easily led the team with four receptions for 127 yards and his long score.
Pickett will look for a more even performance in Week Three, a Sunday night road game against the Las Vegas Raiders. And the Steelers will look for their second win to get into the thick of the AFC North race. The Baltimore Ravens currently hold the top spot, winning both games to begin their 2023 campaign.
