Steelers' Mike Tomlin discusses what makes Kenny Pickett special

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett has yet to take the leap many hoped he'd make during his second NFL season but nevertheless received high praise from head coach Mike Tomlin coming off back-to-back wins that improved Pittsburgh to 4-2. 

"His ability to rise up in moments, we valued that in the draft process," Tomlin said about Pickett while speaking with reporters on Tuesday, per Dale Lolley of the Steelers' website. "That was one of the things that made him attractive to us. I've watched him do it when he was a Pitt Panther. And so I don't know that any of us are surprised by his ability to make the plays that he makes when it really gets thick."

Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports mentioned that the Steelers outscored opponents 28-0 in fourth quarters over the past two games. Most recently, Pickett connected on his final nine passes this past Sunday to guide Pittsburgh to a 24-17 victory at the Los Angeles Rams.

"I just think some people are built like that," Tomlin added about Pickett. "Some people relish the opportunity. Some people really smile in the face of adversity. Some people are competition junkies and I think he's all of those things, but that's not something that we're just discovering. As I mentioned, it's something that we knew."

Tomlin and company now must figure out how to spread Pickett's best play often reserved for fourth quarters across entire games. According to ESPN stats, the 25-year-old enters Week 8 ranked 30th in the NFL among qualified players with a 35.3 adjusted QBR and 25th with an 81.3 passer rating on the season. He tossed five touchdown passes and four interceptions over Pittsburgh's first six games. 

Pittsburgh next hosts the 5-2 Jacksonville Jaguars this coming Sunday. As of Tuesday afternoon, OddsChecker listed the Steelers as two-and-a-half-point underdogs against a Jaguars team that has won four in a row.