If you’ve spent time watching or listening to Colin Cowherd discuss the Pittsburgh Steelers over the last few weeks, you might feel like you’re watching a tennis match but it’s just Cowherd vs. Cowherd. One week, you could be convinced he has a personal vendetta against the Steelers. The next, he’s got them as one of the best teams in the NFL. Heck, less than a month ago, he was calling for the team to sell off every major asset to go for USC QB Caleb Williams in the 2024 NFL draft.
Well, after Pittsburgh defeated the Los Angeles Rams 24-17, the pro-Pittsburgh Cowherd seems to be winning the points in this endless tennis match. On Tuesday’s episode of The Herd with Colin Cowherd, Cowherd had his weekly Herd Hierarchy segment. He seemed beside himself when he revealed where the Steelers ranked.
“I can’t believe I have the Steelers at six,” Cowherd said. “This defense though. Fifty-four straight games under 400 yards [for the offense,] but if you dig deep, here’s what’s fascinating: Kenny Pickett is good in the fourth quarter. Five fourth-quarter comebacks, six game-winning drives in his last 18 starts… Kenny Pickett in the fourth quarter this year, and this is a real thing for a young quarterback, he’s got some swag and some confidence. A 103 passer rating.”
Pickett’s performance in the fourth quarter against Los Angeles was nothing short of terrific. He completed all seven of his official attempts (one incompletion was called back due to offsetting penalties, one of which was a defensive pass interference call,) and consistently made plays that picked up chunks of yards with only one completion that netted than 10 yards. Despite not throwing for a single touchdown, Pickett made every play the offense needed when the Steelers needed it to pick up the comeback win.
Pickett himself said after the game that his confidence comes from head coach Mike Tomlin’s steadiness on the sideline no matter the situation. It seems that it isn’t just Pickett who gets confidence from Tomlin, and Cowherd sees that confidence manifesting with regular occurrence in close games.
“This team, they didn’t play well this weekend and won,” Cowherd said. “They beat Baltimore. Pittsburgh’s got an ability, and this is what good teams do, the scuff around for two-and-a-half, three quarters, and win, sometimes on the road. Pittsburgh, I can’t believe it, at six.”
There is something ironic about Cowherd, the man who literally assembles these rankings, saying he can’t believe that the Steelers are sixth in his own rankings. The joys of being a member of the national sports media.
Cowherd had Pittsburgh just behind its Week Eight opponent, the Jacksonville Jaguars, in fifth and just ahead of the Detroit Lions. The AFC North had two more entries on the list, the Cincinnati Bengals in eighth and the Baltimore Ravens as Cowherd’s No. 1 team.
You can watch the entirety of the segment below.
