The Pittsburgh Steelers put together their first 400-yard performance in nearly 50 games in the wake of offensive coordinator Matt Canada’s dismissal, and it coincided with Kenny Pickett‘s highest-graded performance of the season.
Pickett, who received the ire of the Steelers fanbase after a loss to the Cleveland Browns last weekend, bounced back against the Cincinnati Bengals in a 16-10 win at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati.
He completed 24-of-33 pass attempts (71.2%) for a season-high 278 yards, and while he didn’t record a touchdown, a 15-yard dart to wide receiver Diontae Johnson appeared to have been a touchdown that was not called by the officials or challenged by the Steelers. Regardless, it was a solid showing for Pickett.
After a couple of weeks of not using the middle third of the field or pushing the football downfield, he utilized a healthier Pat Freiermuth to attack the seams and hit beautiful deep shots to both Johnson and George Pickens.
And, of course, he led the Steelers to a key AFC North win to improve to 7-4 on the season.
Obviously, the Steelers would like to see more consistency from Pickett — and the entire offense — throughout the course of the season, but there’s no doubt Pickett took a promising first step Sunday in the first game post-Canada. The next six games will be important for both Pickett and the Steelers’ offense.
Through 10 games this season, Pickett has completed 194-of-314 pass attempts (61.8%) for 2,000 yards with six touchdowns and four interceptions — adding a rushing touchdown. It hasn’t been an easy season for the Steelers offense, but there’s been flashes. It’s about showing progress in the back half of the season.
With the win against the Bengals, taking the away tie of the season series, the Steelers now sit at second in the AFC North and in the fifth seed in the AFC as a whole. There are win-able games ahead against the Arizona Cardinals, New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts before a stretch of the Bengals, Seattle Seahawks and Baltimore Ravens to end the season.
Pickett certainly has to prove that he’s able to be a consistent quarterback throughout the entirety of a football game, especially after a solid first step like Sunday’s win, but he does seem to have that clutch gene late in games. It feels like if the Steelers offense — Pickett in particular — is able to add consistency each week, the Steelers have a lot of potential to unlock.
He completed 245-of-389 pass attempts (63%) for 2,404 yards with seven touchdowns and nine interceptions (adding 237 rushing yards and three more touchdowns on the ground) as a rookie last season.
The Steelers will host the Cardinals at Acrisure Stadium Sunday afternoon, with a 1 p.m. kickoff scheduled.
