It took nearly the entire first half, but the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense showed signs of life Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers. The Steelers got on the board with 10 seconds left in the first half as quarterback Kenny Pickett found tight end Pat Freiermuth for a 3-yard touchdown, sending the two teams into intermission with San Francisco in front, 20-7.
Pickett had a rough first half against the 49ers, throwing an interception early, helping the 49ers jump out to a big 20-0 lead. On the final drive of the first half though, the second-year quarterback bounced back.
After missing Freiermuth three plays earlier in the end zone and then missing wide receiver Diontae Johnson on a third and 6 with a woeful throw over the middle, Pickett came back two plays later. He fired a dart to Freiermuth in tight coverage from linebacker Dre Greenlaw, getting the Steelers on the board.
Though he’s had his struggles with accuracy and overall timing on Sunday, Pickett’s best throw came at the right moment, ripping the shot to Freiermuth for the score, giving the Steelers some life.
Prior to the final drive of the first half, Pickett was just 5-for-9 for nine yards and an interception. He found his footing though and is 12-for-20 for 61 yards, one touchdown and one interception at the half. Pickett targeted Freiermuth two other times before the touchdown, missing in the end zone earlier on the same drive, and missing an easy first-down conversion in the second quarter.
We’ll see if the momentum generated from the short touchdown pass from Pickett to Freiermuth carries over into the second half.
