In the fourth quarter versus the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday afternoon, we saw the latest installment of the clutch heroics of Pittsburgh Steelers QB Kenny Pickett. While he played a mostly mistake-free game throughout the first three quarters, when the game turned to the fourth quarter, he took it to another level. He completed all seven of his attempts that counted (he did have one incompletion that was wiped out by offsetting penalties) for 138 yards. In fact, only one of his passes gained under 10 yards in the fourth quarter. That was a big part of the Steelers’ 24-17 comeback win.
While Pickett did not throw for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, his passing was key to setting up the Steelers’ two touchdowns. When Pickett spoke to SI.com’s Albert Breer after the game, he gave head coach Mike Tomlin the credit for inspiring his play.
“His consistent message is what has always been an eye-opener to me,” Pickett said. “You never have to guess with Coach. He’s always the same guy, no matter what. If it’s the start of the game or the end of the game, he keeps the same message and keeps the same body language and everything. It’s giving off confidence, and we all feed off of that. It’s great to have that in your head coach.”
Whether Tomlin’s reputation as a player’s coach is a good thing or not has been endlessly debated amongst fans and even the media at points, it’s evident that his players love it. Being in a tight game late is stressful. Players can break under that stress, and so can coaches. So having a coach that simply does not fold under the circumstances is reassuring. Players respond to their coach’s demeanor, and evidently, Pittsburgh’s players take Tomlin’s steady approach as confidence-boosting.
That steadiness also seems to help the Steelers navigate the consistent slow starts on offense this season. Pickett is obviously a part of that. He has a 56.25 completion percentage in the first quarter and 51.61% in the second quarter. He’s thrown three touchdowns in the first half and thrown three interceptions in the same time frame through six games. Yet Tomlin doesn’t allow his players to get down on themselves, and Pickett’s performance shows that.
In the third quarter this season, Pickett has posted a 66.04% completion percentage. It jumps up to 72.97% in the fourth quarter. For his career, his completion percentage is four points higher in the second half. However, his fourth-quarter performance this season is widely outperforming last season’s percentage of 61.67%. He’s taken a step forward in that regard, regardless of the offensive struggles overall.
For proof of that, look at Pickett on the first play of the fourth quarter against the Rams. With Pittsburgh trailing 17-10 and facing a third-and-10, the Rams dialed up a five-man pressure. Pickett kept his eyes up as he manipulated the pocket to his left before finding WR Diontae Johnson just shy of the sticks. However, the pass was placed perfectly to lead Johnson upfield and away from the trailing defender for 39 yards. Two plays later, RB Jaylen Warren was in the end zone  for the touchdown.
According to Pickett, a big part of his performance in crunch time is his head coach’s mentality on the sideline. When your coach is calm and collected, it helps you remain calm and collected in stressful moments. While the numbers offensively are ugly, 4-2 to start the season is anything but, and Pickett apparently believes that is thanks to Tomlin.
