Mike Tomlin doesn’t commit to Kenny Pickett for the Steelers moving forward

Oct 2, 2022 - 8:45 PM

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The Pittsburgh Steelers offense continued to struggle in the Week 4 game vs. the New York Jets heading into halftime. How bad was the struggle? The unit only mustered 6 first half points, and the final three were gifted to them after a Carl Lawson roughing the passer call on a halftime Hail Mary moved the offense into Chris Boswell’s field goal range.

After the 59-yard kick was good and the teams went into the locker rooms, the Steelers turned to rookie Kenny Pickett when they got the ball for the first time in the second half. Pickett was able to orchestrate the offense well, coming off the bench, and after the game Tomlin said he made the decision to go to Pickett because the team needed a “spark”.

The spark provided gave the team a 10-point lead in the 4th quarter, which evaporated after turnovers and porous defense resulted in a 24-20 loss to the visiting Jets. You’d think after the game Tomlin would say Pickett the the guy moving forward, right?

Wrong.

After the game Tomlin refused to commit to Pickett for the Week 5 game on the road vs. the Buffalo Bills.

This doesn’t mean Tomlin will go back to Mitch Trubisky as the team’s quarterback, but it isn’t a resounding vote of confidence to the rookie signal caller either.

Pickett’s stat line in the Week 4 game was hit-or-miss.

10/13, 120 yards, 9.2 average, 0 TDs, 3 INTs, 0 sacks, 65.1 Rating, 2 Rushing TDs

Compare that to Trubisky’s stat line during his time in the first half.

7/13, 84 yards, 6.5 average, 0 TDs, 1 INT, 3 sacks for 26 yards, 41.8 rating

The quarterback play left a lot to be desired, but so did the entire team performance by the Steelers at Acrisure Stadum Sunday afternoon.

The 1-3 Steelers now face a nasty gauntlet of games before their Week 9 bye week. Who will be the quarterback at that time?

Well, that’s anyone’s guess.

Be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the Buffalo Bills on the road in Week 5.