Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 4-2 record and QB Kenny Pickett’s fourth-quarter magic, some analysts aren’t convinced the Steelers are for real. At least not Craig Carton. On his daily The Carton Show, he spent 90 seconds trashing Pickett and his overall performance this season.
“They’re not a good football team…Kenny Pickett has not thrown this year for more than 235 yards in a single game,” Carton said. “Not once. And the game they just played in which they beat the Rams, no touchdowns, 230 yards. We’re talking about a game manager. And if you tell me that’s what you want out of your franchise quarterback, I’m going to call you a liar.”
Despite Pittsburgh’s solid start, Carton said their performance is largely smoke and mirrors.
“That being said, [their record] doesn’t mean their quarterback is the reason they’re 4-2. Or if they beat Jacksonville, 5-2. Kenny Pickett is not a good quarterback.”
Pickett has certainly had his share of struggles as the Steelers’ offense has gone stagnant for large chunks of games and the season. His seasonal numbers look uninspiring. Just over a 60 percent completion rate, five touchdowns, four interceptions. To date in his career, he’s still thrown more picks (13) than scores (12).
But numbers don’t tell the entire story. They especially don’t in the game Carton references, Sunday’s win over the Los Angeles Rams. On paper, Pickett completed just 17 passes for 230 yards but the quality of his play was about as good as Steelers’ fans have seen. Pickett got the ball out on time, hit his check-down quicker, took care of the ball, and made some great downfield strikes. He did it all in the face of pressure, standing tall in the pocket. We broke down his best moments in a post earlier this week.
Carton added the Steelers “aren’t a good football team.” They certainly have their issues and don’t look poised for a deep playoff run. But they’re a scrappy bunch who does just enough to stay in the game through the first three quarters to keep the score down, close, and allow them to win late. As we’ve pointed out many times, no team has been as successful in one-possession games as the Steelers over the length of Mike Tomlin’s tenure. And even post-Ben Roethlisberger, they have an 11-5 record in such games and the fifth-best winning percentage over that span behind Super Bowl contenders like the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs.
Former Steelers’ OL Willie Colon joined Carton on the show and defended Pickett and Pittsburgh, citing their record as the thing that matters most.
“They’re 4-2,” Colon said. “They’re 4-2. Say what you want…do you like wins or not?”
Pittsburgh will have a chance for a statement win on Sunday against the 5-2 Jacksonville Jaguars. They, like the Steelers, were trendy summer picks to become sleeper teams and challenge the AFC favorites.
