5 things we learned: Numbers weren't flashy, but Kenny Pickett got job done in Steelers win

Five things we learned from Steelers 20, Saints 10:

1. Pickett’s charge

Kenny Pickett produced a 79.7 passer rating against the Saints that, if it represented his number for the entire season, would rank No. 31 among NFL quarterbacks.

Alas, it merely lifted Pickett’s season rating to 68.8, which rates No. 35 among all passers.

Still, it represented progress for Pickett given that it was his second-highest rating of the season. More importantly for the Steelers, Pickett didn’t throw an interception after entering the game with eight.

Pickett showed more poise in the pocket than in any of his first-half starts, opting to tuck the ball and run or throw it out of bounds if he didn’t find an open receiver.

And consider in the second half that Pickett had a more respectable 96.0 rating when he completed 7 of 11 passes for 108 yards.

His best work came after a 58-yard punt pinned the ball at the Steelers 2. Pickett directed an 11-play, 83-yard drive that resulted in Matthew Wright’s 33-yard field goal for a 13-10 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Pickett was 3 of 3 for 56 yards on the possession, and he made his best pass of the game when he found Diontae Johnson for 36 yards to the Saints 20.

On the next possession, Pickett and running back Jaylen Warren hooked up on a 26-yard gain that set up Pickett’s 1-yard touchdown run that provided a 10-point cushion.

2. Wright stuff?

With Chris Boswell’s groin injury necessitating a trip to injured reserve, the Steelers decided to swap out the most accurate kicker in NCAA history for another that provided a little more NFL experience.

The organization may be rethinking that decision to cut Nick Sciba in the wake of Wright’s return to the Steelers.

Wright missed two of four field goal attempts, including a 39-yarder that was wide left and a 48-yarder that also was wide left and lacked substantial distance. Even the 33-yarder that Wright made to provide a 13-10 lead was touched at the line of scrimmage before fluttering through the goal posts.

More on the Steelers' win over the Saints:

• Steelers right ship with win over Saints
• Steelers come out running vs. Saints, finish with their best rushing game in 6 years
• Returns of T.J. Watt, Damontae Kazee contribute to Steelers’ dominant defensive effort
• Steelers injury report: Myles Jack cleared, but held out of Steelers’ victory as precaution
• Minkah Fitzpatrick underwent appendectomy soon after Steelers’ Saturday walkthrough

Wright’s kickoffs, the reason he wasn’t brought back by Jacksonville after the 2021 season, were suspect. His first two were placed into the end zone but returned. The next two dropped at the Saints 12 and 9, respectively. On his final kickoff, he put one into the end zone that was not brought out.

With another week, the Steelers can hope the snap-hold-kick component goes more fluidly. Since Wright was signed to the 53-man roster, he must stick around for at least two more games while Boswell must sit out three more weeks before he can be activated.

3. Replacing Chase

George Pickens was first in line to take over the wide receiver runs in the wake of Chase Claypool’s trade to the Chicago Bears.

Pickens got the ball on the inside handoff that produced a 1-yard touchdown and 7-0 lead in the first quarter. He also got the call on an end around and had a 22-yard gain.

The Steelers spread around the playing time that went to Claypool, with Steven Sims getting the most work in the slot. Sims played 32 of 84 snaps, while Gunner Olszewski was on the field for 22 plays and Miles Boykin logged a season-high 14 snaps.

Offensive coordinator Matt Canada also liberally used two tight end sets. Zach Gentry played 43 snaps — or a shade over 50% — and rookie Connor Heyward was on the field for 17 plays.

4. Running men

When Najee Harris reeled off a 36-yard run late in the first quarter, it not only was his longest gain of the season, it was higher than three of his game totals for the season.

Harris totaled 23 yards in the season opener at Cincinnati, and he finished with 20 yards at Buffalo and 32 at Philadelphia.

Averaging 3.3 yards per carry entering the game, Harris ticked up to 5.0 against the Saints when he had 99 yards on 20 attempts, a season high.

More from Tim Benz:

• Feats of Strength: Steelers defense, running game come up big in much-needed win over Saints
• Mark Madden: Nervous, sloppy, unsure, Kenny Pickett isn't ready to be Steelers' starting QB
• Madden Monday on Kenny Pickett: 'Right now, I think he stinks'
• First Call: Bill Cowher rants about Jeff Saturday; JuJu Smith-Schuster knocked out; Matt Murray may face Penguins

The Steelers followed through on their plan to give more work to backup Jaylen Warren, who totaled 37 yards on nine carries and caught three passes for 40 yards. Warren was on the field for 36 snaps; his high of 38 snaps came when Harris was rested late in the 38-3 blowout loss at Buffalo.

The Steelers struck a balance in the win with the use of their running backs. The run-pass ratio was 43 runs to 30 passes, which is likely what the Steelers envisioned entering the season.

The question will be whether the Steelers can continue to run the ball against a contender and not when facing a team carrying a 3-7 record.

5. Ironman Spillane

Entering the game, coach Mike Tomlin wanted to resist using inside linebacker Myles Jack. The team’s leading tackler, Jack was slowed by a knee injury that kept him from practicing Wednesday and Thursday.

The answer to the problem turned out to be Robert Spillane, the only non-defensive back to play every defensive snap. Spillane did a fair impersonation of Jack by leading the Steelers with seven tackles. He had a tackle for loss and was involved in the fourth-and-1 stop of quarterback Andy Dalton that gave the ball back to the Steelers in the fourth quarter.

It helped that the Steelers offense possessed the ball for nearly 39 minutes, limiting the time the defense was on the field. That enabled Tomlin to keep Jack on the sideline the entire game.

Spillane — and not former first-round pick Devin Bush — took care of the rest.