Well, Mike Tomlin proved his sanity.
According to the old adage, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results. Mike Tomlin, head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, let Steelers Nation know that he was of sound mind when his team entered the locker room for halftime of the Jets game. With Pittsburgh tallying only four touchdowns through the first three and a half games, Tomlin had seen enough and benched quarterback Mitch Trubisky and effectively ushered in the Kenny Pickett era.
“I thought we just needed a spark,” the Pittsburgh coach explained his reasoning for the switch.
Going into the game, it was to be a battle of former number two overall picks, quarterbacks Mitch Trubisky for the Steelers and Zach Wilson for the Jets, the battle of Pittsburgh’s 31st ranked offense versus New York’s defense, ranked 31st through the first three outings, and two AFC teams with 1-2 records. In other words, something had to give.
That something ended up being the end of the Trubisky experiment. After yet another half of offensive mediocrity with Mitch Trubisky as the Steelers signal caller, Pittsburgh finished the first half without a touchdown. The black and gold mustered just six points in the first 30 minutes, curtesy of two Chris Boswell field goals, including a 59-yard boomer on the last play of the first half. The kicker, affectionately known as The Wizard of Boz, set the record for the longest field goal at what is now Acrisure Stadium.
It was the same old Steelers in the first half, as Mitch Trubisky finished the half 7 of 13 for 84 yards and a pick. The struggle to sustain drives continued as the Steelers were just 1 for 6 on third downs in the first half. The Steelers maintained their dubious distinction of the most three and outs in the NFL. Still looking for the big offensive play, Pittsburgh is the only team in the NFL without a running play over 20 yards or a passing play of over 40 yards. Despite the Jets having a lead for just 22 seconds throughout the first three games, the New York squad took a lead and held it into the third quarter.
The boo birds and the chants of “Kenny, Kenny” were answered in the third quarter as rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett took over for Trubisky with the Steelers down 10-6. Pickett’s first career attempt was a deep ball which was intercepted after Chase Claypool could not hang on.
Redemption came after Minkah Fitzpatrick’s interception and return set Pittsburgh up inside the five yard line. Three plays later Pickett hit pay dirt with a sneak from 18 inches out. The rush from KP8 gave the Steelers a 13-10 lead on a 3 play, 4 yard drive. In the 4th quarter, Kenny Pickett ran for another touchdown and gave the Steelers at 10 point lead to cap off a 12 play, 82 yard drive. Pickett became the first quarterback in NFL history to rush for multiple touchdowns in a career debut performance.
Kenny Pickett’s second interception was a play that should not have happened as Steelers held a three point lead with 3:40 remaining in the game and were driving in Jets territory. After the game, the rookie quarterback acknowledged that he made a poor decision and did not need to throw that ball.
Though the Pittsburgh defense created two turnovers in the form of interceptions by Cam Sutton and Minkah Fitzpatrick, and kept constant pressure on QB Zach Wilson, the Steelers only picked up one sack, as Alex Highsmith now has 5 ½ on the season. The black and gold squad gave up three sacks to a team who came into Acrisure Stadium with just five in the Jets’ first three games. Missed tackles left a lot of plays out on the field, including at least four times they had the New York quarterback in the grasp for potential sacks.
Once again, a tired and battered Steelers defense could not stop Jets with the game on the line. In the end, Pittsburgh couldn’t sustain pressure, ran out of gas, and were once again gashed in the fourth quarter. The Jets scored the last 14 points of the game, with a perceived fumble by running back Breece Hall overturned by the eye in the sky for the game winning touchdown with just 16 seconds remaining in the game.
Despite the 24-20 loss and stat line, the offense looked energized with Pickett under center, as the Steelers were 5 for 5 on third down with Pickett in the game. In addition, the running game was solidified, and rookie WR George Pickens had great game with six grabs for 102 yards. Najee Harris finished with 18 rushes for 74 yards, with a long of 18 yards. Pat Freiermuth added seven catches for 74 yards.
Rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett completed 10 of 13 attempts and none of his passes hit the ground as he threw three interceptions (including a last ditch Hail Mary effort). Pickett delivered the football with precision, confidence, presence in the pocket, and was aggressive – intangibles that don’t show up in the box score.
The Steelers, now 1-3 and 0-2 at home, have dropped three games in a row to teams they should have beaten. “It’s frustrating losing to people that you know you’re better than, more talented than,” stated Minkah Fitzpatrick during media availability immediately following the game.
Now 0-7 without T.J. Watt, the Steelers hope to remove the reigning Defensive Player of the Year from IR before they face the Buffalo Bills.
The Steelers can’t go back. The move has been made. Steeler Nation has known that Kenny Pickett is the quarterback of the future. After Sunday, Big Ken is the quarterback of the present.
Photo credit: AP Images
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