Kenny Pickett made certain the Pittsburgh Steelers’ playoff hopes still had a heart beat heading into Week 18. For the 2nd successive week, Pickett led a fourth-quarter game-winning drive with a beautiful hand down the transfer to Najee Harris to offer the Steelers a 16-13 success over the Baltimore Ravens. Pickett ended up being the very first novice quarterback in NFL history to craft a game-winning TD pass in the last minute of the 4th quarter in back-to-back video games. “The kid’s growing prior to our eyes,” Steelers protective lineman Cameron Heyward stated, through the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “He’s making quality tosses, leading us downfield. It’s truly amazing, to be (24) years of ages and a quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers. You got to enjoy the method he’s leading that offense. And he keeps growing week in and week out.” If there were any concerns about whether Pickett would be the long-lasting response under center in Pittsburgh, the novice has actually addressed them resoundingly over the previous 2 weeks. “Can’t state sufficient about our young QB,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin stated. “He smiles in the face of it. He’s constantly all set to be that person in the minutes that we require him to be that person. And it’s simply excellent to see the young person.” Pickett’s numbers will not wow– 168 backyards and a TD on 15-of-27 death– however he’s prevented the huge errors in current weeks. The novice revealed his capability to make things take place out of the structure on Sunday night. Numerous of his finest plays began the relocation, making great tosses even if they weren’t confined. The Steelers’ last offending play of the video game was all Pickett. The novice prevented the rush, transferred to his left, reset and fired a best pass to Harris, who was blanketed by Pro Bowl linebacker Roquan Smith in the end zone. It was the kind of play that showed Pickett’s capacity. “We do so lots of two-minute drives in practice, and you see the moxie in our quarterback,” outside linebacker T.J. Watt stated. “We’ve seen our people head out and ball out in practice all season long. We weren’t amazed.” On the game-winning drive, Pickett finished 5 of 6 efforts for 64 lawns and a TD. It marked the Steelers’ 3rd fourth-quarter resurgence with the novice under center and the 4th game-winning drive in his young profession. “I believe it’s simply self-confidence that I had in myself is appearing on the field, and I believe people are beginning to feel that, which is constantly great,” Pickett stated. “Going into the huddle and seeing how positive everybody is, as a quarterback, you understand they have a great deal of belief in you, and I have a great deal of belief in those men in the huddle. When that is there, you certainly have a shot.” The Steelers’ heroics in Baltimore provided a chance at the postseason. Relocating to 8-8 heading into Week 18, Pittsburgh would get approved for the postseason with a triumph over the Browns, a Patriots loss to the Bills and a Dolphins loss to the Jets. While it stays a long shot for the Steelers to turn their 2-6 start into a playoff run, it’s not wild to see it occurring. The Browns played their finest video game under Deshaun Watson in Week 17 however aren’t precisely a frightening challenger to end the season. The Dolphins have substantial injury problems at quarterback and might be beginning a seventh-round novice with the postseason on the line. And the Patriots currently lost to the Bills by double-digits when this season– the secret may be whether Buffalo is still chasing after the No. 1 seed when the video game begins or choose to sit beginners if their fate is finished up. Whether the Steelers make the postseason or not this year, Pickett’s play down the stretch provides optimism in 2023 that the young quarterback will be leading Pittsburgh on lots of playoff runs in the future.
Steelers’ Cameron Heyward on novice QB Kenny Pickett: ‘The kid’s growing prior to our eyes’
