If NFL careers were judged solely on the fourth quarter, Kenny Pickett would be in the Hall of Fame. If they were judged off the first three, he’d be in the Hall of Shame.
Though it’s become a common question that lacks a real answer — why is Pickett so good in the final 15 minutes and how can that be carried to the first 45? – Mike Tomlin said the Steelers are working on figuring that out.
Speaking to reporters during his Tuesday press conference, Tomlin praised Pickett’s resolve late in games as the team searches how to increase his first-half productivity.
“He’s awesome in the fourth quarter,” he said via the team’s YouTube channel. “Man, he rises up in those moments. He wants to be the reason why we’re successful. He prepares his tail off. In some instances where people run from challenges, he runs to challenges, and so that’s why his performance is so good in the fourth. Those other quarters we’ll work on.”
The numbers don’t lie. Over the first three quarters of the 2023 season, Pickett’s QB rating is an ugly 75.3. In the fourth quarter, it spikes to 108.2, one of the top figures in the league. That again proved to be true in Week Nine’s win over Tennessee. Pickett struggled throughout the first half, repeatedly missing open receivers. But he led a game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter, throwing a 32-yard dime to WR Diontae Johnson before connecting with him again for the go-ahead score, Johnson’s first touchdown since 2021.
It’s been a similar story in most of the Steelers’ wins this season. The Ravens and Rams games are also prime examples of the same story playing out.
While Pittsburgh has made it through the first half of the season with a winning record under that model, sustaining it the rest of the season could prove challenging. And winning in the playoffs, should the Steelers get to that point, will be even more difficult. The entire offense has start better than it has through the first eight games. And it starts with Pickett. It’s a question that will continue to be asked until it’s fixed. And if it isn’t solved, it’ll be an issue that will hang over this franchise throughout the offseason.
