There wasn’t much to positively take out of the majority of the Pittsburgh Steelers 16-13 jaw-dropping win on Sunday night over the Baltimore Ravens. The offense couldn’t convert in the red zone and the defense was unable to contain the rushing attack from Baltimore or tight end, Mark Andrews. All of that was forgotten towards the end of the game when rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett led the offense down the field on an 11-play, 80-yard drive that resulted in a 10-yard touchdown reception from running back, Najee Harris. The young signal-caller who the organization selected in the first round last April came to play when it mattered.
Pickett’s stat line is not going to jump out at anyone. He was 15/27 for 168 yards including what would turn out to be the game-winning touchdown pass. He has now led late fourth quarter touchdown drives in back to back weeks and Pittsburgh’s playoff hopes are somehow alive entering the final week of the regular season. Head coach Mike Tomlin was very simple when talking about his quarterback’s approach to dealing with adversity:
“He smiles in the face of it. It’s good to see the young guy.”
There were multiple eye-opening plays from Pickett down the stretch. It started with elusive pocket presence on a first down with 3:12 left in the contest. He was able to get outside the tackle box and find tight end Pat Freiermuth for a 20-yard completion at the 50-yard line. The big play jump-started the drive and it seemed almost as if the rookie was destined to come up with big play after big play in the final minutes.
Pickett then threw an absolute dart to wide receiver Steven Sims right around the two-minute warning. He found him over the middle of the field and threw into a tight window. The duo connected for 28 yards as the offense set up in Ravens’ territory with just under two minutes to go in the game. The throw and trust he had in a guy who had less than 10 catches on the season entering the game was a veteran-like move.
The job wasn’t finished after that, however. He remained composed in a hostile environment and made one of, if not, the best play of his juvenile NFL career on a 3rd and 8 play at the Baltimore 10-yard line. It seemed like a sack was imminent, but he was able to escape from Ravens’ defender and veteran Jason Pierre-Paul. Pickett scrambled to his left and threw a perfect pass to find Harris in the end zone with under a minute to go.
It’s hard to ignore the growth the quarterback has displayed in the months of December and January. The offense couldn’t convert in the red zone all game and despite a missed field goal and unfortunate defensive unnecessary roughness penalty called on Cameron Heyward, Pickett did not waver.
The stuff Pickett displayed on Sunday night, especially late in the game, didn’t just show us how far he has come late in his first season. It also should make Steelers fans feel comfortable going forward that the quarterback position may not be a worry for the foreseeable future. His statistics, just like the Week 16 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, aren’t going to send him to the Hall of Fame. But, he is absolutely solidifying himself as the guy to build around going forward.
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