The Band-Aid has been ripped off, the fresh air pouring in and healing the wounds.
Now, it’s time for Pittsburgh Steelers second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett to start pushing closer to the perceived potential he has at the position. He can do that down the stretch for the Steelers after the franchise made the surprising move of firing offensive coordinator Matt Canada last week, turning to running backs coach Eddie Faulkner as interim offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan as in-game play caller.
Pickett, who performed well in his first game post-Canada in Week 12 against the Cincinnati Bengals, is one of five players in the NFL who must step up down the stretch, according to USA Today’s Nate Davis.
In a piece highlighting one player from each of the five NFL writers for USA Today, Davis chose Pickett as the player to highlight.
“Early returns are promising after the 2022 first-rounder threw for a season-best 278 yards in Sunday’s win at Cincinnati, his first game with newly elevated Pittsburgh Steelers play caller Mike Sullivan in his ear and interim offensive coordinator Eddie Faulkner devising the game plan,” Davis writes regarding Pickett for usatoday.com. “The offense has held this team back all year – and, after a week, maybe it was in fact deposed OC Matt Canada restricting Pickett and Co.
“But while a defensive-led version of the Steelers is probably good enough to get Pittsburgh into the postseason – and that formula has worked many times before – if the six-time champions actually want to compete for a seventh, Pickett’s side of the ball will have to continue taking on more of the load.”
Last Sunday’s performance against the Bengals was a good step in the right direction for Pickett and the Steelers’ offense following the coaching change. Pittsburgh utilized the middle of the field consistently, attacked downfield when advantageous matchups presented themselves, executed at a high level on third downs, and ran the ball very well.
It’s a recipe for success down the stretch without a doubt. But that recipe only works if Pickett is on top of his game.
To his credit, he was as sharp as he’s ever been against the Bengals. Pickett read the field well, worked through his progressions quickly and made lightning-fast decisions. The ball was out of his hands consistently as soon as his back foot hit the top of his drop, allowing him to get into a rhythm and rip throws throughout the game.
While the Week 12 performance against the Bengals was rather encouraging, the Steelers still scored just 16 points. More is needed, and that starts with Pickett. If he can build momentum in the passing game, the Steelers’ offense could really take off. The run game is currently in a dominant stretch of production not seen from the franchise since 2004 and accomplish something Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals that hasn’t been done by the Steelers since 1977.
The arrow is pointing up for the Steelers. Now it’s time for Pickett to take that step, too.
