Kenny Pickett Earns Comparison to Eli Manning

Through 17 career games as a starter, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett is 10-7 and holds a 12-13 touchdown-interception ratio. The numbers are nothing to write about, but he has a knack for coming up big in clutch moments. He has recorded five game-winning drives and four fourth-quarter comebacks in his young career. His latest game-winning drive and fourth-quarter comeback came last Sunday when he connected to George Pickens on a 41-yard touchdown to beat the Baltimore Ravens.

Pickett has received several player comparisons since the pre-draft process in 2022, most notably Joe Burrow. However, with the style of play and clutch late-game moments, Bill Simmons of The Ringer dropped a new comp on his podcast earlier this week, involving a two-time Super Bowl champion. … He thinks Pickett might be Eli Manning 2.0.

“It’s an incredible comparison. The throw he had to Pickens at the end of the Ravens game is the most Eli moment ever that Eli wasn’t involved in,” Simmons said on his podcast. “It’s very similar to an Eli thing in that, the teammates love Eli, they trusted Eli for whatever reason, he would come through over and over again in the moments, you would watch the totality of the game and say ‘is Eli Manning good?’ Maybe Kenny Pickett is becoming the new Eli?”

Manning had a rough rookie year in 2004, posting a 1-6 record as a starter and a 6-9 touchdown-interception ratio with a 55.4 quarterback rating. He took a leap in Year 2, however, throwing 24 touchdowns and led the Giants to an 11-5 record. His quarterback rating improved to 75.9, but he still threw 17 interceptions.

Pickett is already ahead of Manning in the game-winning drive and fourth-quarter comeback stat, as Manning had three game-winning drives and two fourth-quarter comebacks in his first two seasons. Manning was at his best in the playoffs, though. That’s when he thrived in the clutch moments. He recorded five game-winning drives and four fourth-quarter comebacks in the postseason during his career, two of the GWD/4QC came in Super Bowl victories over the New England Patriots. Manning earned MVP honors in both Super Bowls.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, Kenny Pickett runs with the ball in the game against the Cleveland Browns on September 18, 2023. – Ed Thompson/Steelers Now.

Outside of Manning’s playoff success, he was very inconsistent throughout his career. When he was on his game, he was one of the best quarterbacks in the league, but when he was off, he was downright bad. Manning’s career ended with 366 touchdowns, 244 interceptions, and an 84.1 passer rating in 236 games. Manning finished seventh all-time in both passing touchdowns and passing yards. He’s also one of only five winners of multiple Super Bowl MVPs.

On the flip side, Manning was 117-117 as a starter and the only major passing statistic he ever led the NFL in was interceptions, something he did three times. If Pickett ends up being Eli Manning 2.0, the Steelers surely will take it, as that would mean Pittsburgh’s winning Lombardi’s again. And that’s the standard in Pittsburgh. It doesn’t matter how you win. As Mike Tomlin often states, style points don’t matter. It certainly wasn’t always pretty with Manning, but his clutch knack will have him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame someday. Pickett obviously has a long way to go, but his clutchness does show signs of Eli.

Simmons isn’t the first person to see similarities between Pickett and Manning, as Nick Kostos, who hosts a sports radio show on WFAN in New York, said last year that Pickett reminded him of a young Maning after he threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter in a loss to the Miami Dolphins.

“Pickett is gonna be awesome. Early growing pains. Reminds me a little of a young Eli Manning,” Kostos tweeted.

Pickett is gonna be awesome. Early growing pains. Reminds me a little of a young Eli Manning

— Nick Kostos (@TheKostos) October 24, 2022