One thing that’s been a common theme this season for the Pittsburgh Steelers is that even when they win, there are doubts that linger and questions that arise about how good this team really is. And frankly, with how they play in some of their wins, it’s deserved. Today, former NFL CB Richard Sherman, now an analyst, has questions about whether Kenny Pickett, who managed to throw for just 126 yards in Pittsburgh’s win over the Green Bay Packers yesterday, is the answer at quarterback for the Steelers.
“At the end of the day, he’s doing enough to win the ball game, but they cannot feel comfortable that this is the answer going forward. He has a guy who can be an All-Pro receiver, can be a big-time receiver in George Pickens, and he can’t even find a way to just throw the ball up to him. Make it simple. Every time you think Matt Canada has it figured out and Matt Canada’s doing it, he has a come-back-to-earth game, and you don’t know if it’s Kenny Pickett or Matt Canada,” Sherman said on his podcast.
Canada, despite being the most derided man in Pittsburgh, has actually called some pretty good games the last few weeks. His move to the sideline for Week Nine against the Titans has been almost universally praised, and the offense has looked better. Pickett hasn’t. At this point, I’m not sure how much blame Canada deserves for the performance of Pickett.
The Packers were down two of their top corners in Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes, while safety Darnell Savage was also out. Against a banged-up secondary, Pickett was overly keen to check the ball down and play it safe underneath instead of taking some shots downfield. At some point, when the Steelers start playing better teams, that’s not a strategy that will take them very far. We have to see more out of Pickett to be confident that he can be the franchise quarterback for the Steelers.
The Steelers have found a way to win with Pickett under center, though. As ugly as it looks, they win. The last two weeks, it’s been the ground game that’s taken over, exceeding 160 yards in Weeks 9 and 10 and running for over 200 yards in the 10th time in Mike Tomlin’s tenure against Green Bay. If the ground game continues to shine, Pickett can continue to just be a game manager and do just enough. But there’s certainly no guarantee the Steelers get elite-level production out of their run game the rest of the season, so there’s really a need for Pickett to step up and play better.
Former Steelers DT Chris Hoke said he thinks it’s a matter of the game slowing down for Pickett and him needing to go through his progressions. Through 21 starts, that’s something you’d like to think would be happening by now. Maybe something will click for Pickett in the next few weeks, but there’s no question that he needs to be better, and at some point, his struggles through the air are holding the offense back, much more than Canada has been.
Watch the full episode of The Richard Sherman Podcast below:
