Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett has received criticism in his second season in the NFL. The team’s offense has been brutal throughout the 2023 season, unable to consistently move the ball downfield.
A lot of the blame can be placed on offensive coordinator Matt Canada’s playcalling and scheming as well as the performance of the team’s offensive line. Pickett is not without responsibility, however, as he has struggled to get the ball where it needs to be.
However, it seems like whenever the team needs Pickett to perform the most, he excels. The Steelers were 6-3 entering Week 11 against the Cleveland Browns and were tied for the league lead with Pickett’s three fourth-quarter comebacks.
This key gene is not something every quarterback in the NFL possesses. In most cases, there will be a huge change in how a player performs when playing up front compared to playing behind.
That’s what led former Steelers star defensive back Ike Taylor to draw a bold comparison between Pickett and future Hall of Famer Tom Brady. On his “Bleav In Steelers” podcast, Taylor loved Pickett’s late-game heroics and Brady’s sparkling play when the lights were brightest.
“To me, Kenny is the perfect fit for the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Taylor said. “They can say what they want about what a typical quarterback should look like and all the characteristics they need to have. Man, give me Tom Brady traits! I’m not saying Kenny and Tom are close; It’s about Kenny and Tom being close. I’m just saying one thing, I know with three and a half to two minutes left, the game is very close and Kenny is going to end it. “He’s going to put in that effort and he’s going to be there Get some results in the standings. ” (H/T Heavy)
The Steelers could certainly use more heroics like this on Sunday afternoon. They face the AFC North rivals Cleveland Browns on the road with a chance to open up a gap in the standings.
The teams enter the game 6-3, but with a win already in hand, the Steelers could essentially build a two-game lead in a season sweep. Unfortunately, Pickett couldn’t create his magic late in the game, coming up short against a stout Browns defense.
The Steelers lost 13-10, totaling 249 yards of offense, 74 of which came on Jaylen Warren’s 74-yard touchdown run on the second play of the second-half scrimmage. On their second play, the Steelers got to Cleveland’s 40 on a 12-yard completion by George Pickens.
However, Najee Harris failed to complete the play and lost five yards on the next two plays, hampering the drive and any chance of a go-ahead score. Pickett finished the game with just 77 net passing yards and went 0-for-3 on the game’s final drive to tie the game at 10-10.
Taylor is certainly right, and Pickett has shown a tendency to contribute when games are at stake. But he failed to advance in Week 11, dropping the Steelers’ season record to 6-4.