There has been a lot, and I mean a LOT of discourse about starting quarterback Kenny Pickett in media, fan, and social media circles all season long. There’s been a never ending war between the Pickett stans (a dying breed) and the Pickett haters (a growing army) every week after a Steelers game.
The latest battle in this trench war comes as the Steelers won 23-19 over the Green Bay Packers in Week 10. The running game absolutely carried the Steelers, probably the first time you could really say that this week.
Pittsburgh ran for over 200 yards on the ground, and both Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren reached season highs in rushing yards. Warren set a new career high in rushing with 101, surpassing the career high he set last week with 88. Harris, meanwhile, also had his best game of the season.
It was imperative that the Steelers had a good ground game, because their passing game was nothing short of awful.
Kenny Pickett went 14/23 for 126 yards, no touchdowns and no picks. It was Pickett’s second lowest passing yards total this season (the one below coming in that disaster against Houston).
This game led to probably the most all-around criticism Pickett has seen this so far this season. Amidst a running game that has really found a groove, and an offensive coordinator that has found new life since moseying on down to the sideline, Pickett hasn’t seen much improvement.
Pickett started his 21st game for the Steelers on Sunday, and despite a hopeful ascension to greatness in his sophomore pro year, the game vs the Packers was just another game that was anything but.
Pickett has even lost some of his most staunch (at times obnoxious) supporters in recent weeks, including one Andrew Filliponi over at The Fan, who for the first time really since Pickett’s NFL career has begun, was fully willing to criticize the 25 year old quarterback.
But while Filliponi is an extreme example, and is someone who has a much broader audience and reach than the average fan (myself included), the everyday fan opinion of Pickett is also rapidly losing stock.
A quick survey of fans on social media after the game told the tale of a fanbase that is getting rapidly more worried about their team’s quarterback. Pickett, against a defense that was missing arguably their three best players on Sunday, could only muster 126 yards and 14 completions.
At the same time, the guys hoping to catch passes from Pickett are also becoming more and more uneasy. We are all well aware of George Pickens’ recent public actions, despite his claims that his Instagram thing had nothing to do with the Steelers.
But Diontae Johnson is also now getting a little restless. He had some animated frustrations on the sideline due to his lack of use, although he could have reversed his own fortunes a little (more on that later).
Either way, the Steelers have been awful through the air, and that is in large part Pickett’s own doing. He has not been able to make the basic, run-of-the-mill throws that any NFL QB has to make.
Take for example, the lateral pass to Jaylen Warren.
The Steelers got away with one here. This is absolutely a backwards pass, which, if called correctly, would have given the Packers the ball deep in Steelers territory.
But this play should have never even happened. Pickett throws a wobbly, off-target throw to Warren, who doesn’t catch it.
Again, if called correctly by the officials, this play gives Green Bay the ball already in scoring position, and this play looks a LOT worse due to the ramifications.
He also is suffering with under throwing his receivers. Two of his more glaring examples in this are his under throw to Pickens in the Jacksonville Jaguars game.
And this one on Sunday intended for Johnson:
In the case of Pickett to Johnson, yes, the ball is under thrown, but Johnson probably still needs to come down with that catch. He had two hands on the ball and had a clear angle to make the catch.
Either way, however, Johnson has an easier time with that if Pickett can make that throw just a little more accurate.
Aside from those extremes, he’s missed several much more common throws as well. The Warren play sticks out, but if you’ll think back to that Thursday Night game against the Tennessee Titans, Pickett missed several throws that any NFL QB has got to have.
Despite these negatives about Pickett, and yes they are quite alarming, he is still not getting much help from his offensive coordinator Matt Canada.
While it’s true that Canada’s play-calling has undeniably improved over the last few weeks, one of the remaining criticisms of the Canada offense is the lack of utilization of the middle of the field.
This is a rather damning stat about said offense: Pickett has 3 completions inside the hash marks for more than 10 yards all season. Not last game. All season long.
Is he missing throws in this area? Absolutely.
But why can’t Canada scheme the middle of the field better. Pickett can only throw where there are players wearing the same jersey he is. Take a look at his pass chart from Sunday:
This is an ugly chart, but it’s one that is hardly the fault of solely Pickett. Pickett can only throw where his receivers go, like Pickens:
Give Pickett some credit for this: one of the things he has consistently been good at is the back shoulder, sideline pass to George Pickens. No matter how good or bad Pickett has been in a game, that’s usually a pass they can rely on.
But we all know the sheer athleticism and freakish talent that Pickens possesses. He should be getting involved a lot more than just on the sideline.
One of the 3 middle of the field, 10+ yard completions Pickett has this year is to Pickens, a play that went for a 71 yards and a touchdown.
In complete fairness, Pickett would have had a fourth had Calvin Austin not erased a Pickens catch with an offensive pass interference penalty. But whether it’s 3 or it’s 4, it’s not good enough.
The blame for an awful lack of middle of the field completions is at least even between Pickett and Canada, but the argument can definitely be made that the latter has more responsibility in that manner.
Canada is making improvements, and several Steelers players (Pickett included) have went on the record saying they liked the move and see advantages to it. But if the Steelers’ offense hopes to be dynamic at all, they need to prove they can be a threat in the passing game in the middle of the field.
They did that a lot in the pre-season, which was near perfect and lulled a lot of fans into a false sense of security with this offense. Pickett has definitely regressed since then, but he also isn’t getting those same middle of the field chances now.
Maybe Pickett can’t make the big throws deep down in between the hash marks. But he at least needs to have that opportunity.
With each passing week, there becomes a more and more cautious sentiment regarding Kenny Pickett. More and more fans truly question whether or not he can really be the guy for this franchise for the next ten years.
Even Fourth Quarter Kenny Pickett, the version of him who has made big time throw after big time throw only in the final minutes of games, was nowhere to be seen when the Steelers needed him in the fourth against Green Bay.
His only saving grace has been his lack of turnovers. He has done a great job of taking care of the football, and within the Steelers offense, that trumps all. It’s the reason Pickett is still the unquestioned starter. It’s the reason why backup QB Mitch Trubisky doesn’t fit the Steelers system.
Pittsburgh has been able to execute the style of low-event, turnover-free, splash play on defense equation more often than not this year, and that’s given them a 6-3 record to this point in the season.
However, as the season gets tougher and if the Steelers find themselves in the postseason, the current level of QB play will not cut it anymore.
Pittsburgh’s defense is elite, but remember, the last two playoff games the Steelers have played in, their defense has given up a combined 90 points (48 vs Cleveland in 2020, 42 vs Kansas City in 2021). Their defense may be better now, but it hasn’t been known for clutch playoff performances in recent years.
The goal amongst the vast majority of this fan base for Pickett and the 2023 Steelers is to win a playoff game, something the Steelers have not done in the last seven years.
To go up against the teams like Kansas City, Jacksonville, Miami, and even Cincinnati, who despite their 5-4 record is very much alive in the AFC, you need a competent offense. And a competent offense starts with a solid quarterback.
The Steelers will give him more chances. And he may get a new offensive coordinator after the season is out (although with the Steelers, that’s no guarantee). But he needs to show more than he has been to this point.
(Featured photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
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