Terry Bradshaw: Kenny Pickett is the ‘Perfect QB’ for Steelers

Is Kenny Pickett the answer for the Steelers at quarterback? That question remains as open-ended as ever as Pickett finds success in clutch situations but struggles throughout games. But some are optimistic about what they are seeing. Take it from one former Steelers Super Bowl-winning quarterback, Terry Bradshaw. Speaking after the game on FOX’s studio broadcast, Bradshaw broke down the Steelers’ win over the Rams, and he had praise for Pickett.

“I will tell you what, Pickett doesn’t throw for a lot of touchdowns, yet,” Bradshaw said. “In time he will. He is the perfect quarterback for this team. Very selfless type human being, he doesn’t mind handing the ball off. He’s great in the clutch and great under pressure, and you saw that again today.”

That is a ringing endorsement from Bradshaw on Pickett. Pickett has some rare traits despite his inaccuracies and imperfections, especially in the intangibles department. They need more out of him to unlock that consistently, but somehow, Pickett comes alive when it matters the most. One comparison thrown out weeks ago by Bill Simmons of The Ringer was Eli Manning, who had a similar gene.

“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?”

No matter what you think of Kenny Pickett, his clutchness is irrefutable. At this point, the team can win games in this ugly manner, but it’s unlikely they will be able to do that when it matters most in the playoffs. You have to question how sustainable it is, but Mike Tomlin and Pickett seemingly have made it happen out of nowhere. His second-half performance is an encouraging start to trying to find that next level of his game. Pickett went 11 of 12 and the Rams had little idea of how to slow him down. That needs to be the guy they get for the entire game moving forward.