Farabaugh: No Going Back Now, Kenny Pickett Must Start
PITTSBURGH — Kenny Pickett has had his ups and downs throughout the entirety of his first NFL game. His first NFL pass was what you could consider a bad throw to Chase Claypool after he underthrew the ball. Then, he panicked under pressure and overthrew Pat Freiermuth in the flat. The ball was tipped up and intercepted.
But there was no doubt the Pitt product showed some grit. He ran over C.J. Mosley for his second touchdown of the game after he knifed forward for his first touchdown. Everything for Pittsburgh fell in place once Pickett came it seemed like, even in a losing effort.
There was something about the efficiency led offense Pickett came into the game with. He is a rookie quarterback, too, so dealing with the ups and downs of a quarterback gaining his surroundings is a fact of life. He was not nearly as bad as the stats will suggest with the three interceptions next to his name. Pittsburgh will have a higher ceiling offensively at their peak, and a lower floor given the turnover propensity from rookie quarterbacks. However, that is something Pittsburgh should simply accept at this point.
It seems the Steelers receivers are ready for the change, too. George Pickens said the Steelers offense was ‘ready already’ once Pickett started warming up on the sideline. It did not matter that much to them. Diontae Johnson may have truly nailed home the thought. He felt the Steelers were more efficient, and better equipped to attack the Jets once Pickett entered into the fray.
“When he came in we were just more efficient,” Johnson said. “You could see the energy. He played with swag. That makes us want to play for him. We have to get him better, and prepare for next week.”
We truly do not know what Pickett will bring to table, but in reality it does not matter all that much moving forward. Pickett showcased enough to where he deserves that opportunity. This team, especially the offense, galvanized around Pickett and brought new energy into an offense that felt lifeless.
Mitch Trubisky, for all he gave Pittsburgh, only led Pittsburgh to four total touchdowns under his guidance as quarterback. He rarely turned the ball over, but the Steelers went three and out on over a third of their drives with him under center. In other words, when Trubisky was not getting it done, something had to change.
In fact, when Pickett entered the game, he led the Steelers down the field in methodical fashion. Their 12 play, 87 yard drive was the longest and most efficient drive they engineered all season. Pickett was at the helm of that drive, and that means something. Pittsburgh has some type of life into that offense.
Whatever the ups and downs may be of Pickett moving forward, and there will be all of that and plenty more with Pickett, it is worth it at this point. The Steelers can not backpedal next week. Pickett must be the starter in Buffalo. It is only fair that Pickett sees a full week of work to see what he can do when preparing for a defense throughout the week. He did not get that luxury this week, and he has earned that luxury already.
Nothing will be perfect. There will be moments where it feels like the offense is in the mud because Pickett is a rookie, even if he is 24 years old. But make no mistake, the right move going forward is to play Pickett and let him get his feet wet. He never looked totally out of place, and that means a lot in the circumstances he walked into.
Read This Next
