The offense for the Pittsburgh Steelers came alive in the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Rams last Sunday, producing 180 yards in the final quarter as the Steelers put together two touchdown drives to take back the lead on the road, winning by a final score of 24-17.
The second half of that game may very well be Kenny Pickett’s best performance of the season. The second-year quarterback made several notable throws to help sustain Pittsburgh’s scoring drives while being aided by a running game that came alive in the second half. Pickett jumped on Mad Dog Sports Radio on to talk with media analyst Adam Schein about the game as well as Pittsburgh’s outlook for the 2023 season. Pickett was asked by Schein if he feels that he and OC Matt Canada are on the same page as well as if he feels good about where the offense currently is and where it’s projected to go after getting another win in Los Angeles.
“Absolutely,” Pickett responded to Schein on Sports on Mad Dog Sports Radio. “We meet a ton together. We spend a ton of time together. We’re all pushing to be great. We all want to have a great offense and we’re continuing to improve as a unit, as a group which is awesome to see. Got guys back healthy… Diontae [Johnson] and some guys up front. I’m really happy with the way we finished in the fourth. We wanna play like that throughout the game.”
Pickett has spoken about these meetings with his offensive coordinator in the past. The two meet twice a week to go over the play sheet and to finalize it later in the week, he has said, ranking the plays in terms of how comfortable Pickett is with them and how they rank regarding opponent, personnel, etc. This practice continues to be the case as Canada has mentioned in the past that he has an open-door policy with players, but that he and Pickett have made a genuine effort to get together and work through things to better prepare for an upcoming game.
The results haven’t necessarily been pretty for Pittsburgh thus far. The Steelers currently rank 26th in the league in points and 25th in yards, but we have seen this team trend in the right direction, coming off a big win where the offense played well in the fourth quarter against the Rams. However, Pickett is right that Pittsburgh must start playing that way throughout an entire game to be a legit playoff contender, with the likes of the Dolphins, Chiefs, and Bills in the AFC, teams that can pour it on and ring up the scoreboard in a hurry if you’re not careful.
Last season, it appeared as if Pittsburgh hit its stride after the bye week, establishing an effective running game while having Pickett make crucial plays in crunch time to close out close games. With another year under his belt, the hope is that Pickett can take a step forward and be a more consistent quarterback from start to finish of a football game, being aided by a running game with Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren as well as a stout defense to help push this offense over the hump.
