Confident Kenny Pickett ready for challenge of facing first-place Bills in first NFL start

Kenny Pickett’s first NFL start coincides with the Pittsburgh Steelers being the biggest underdogs in franchise history dating to the 1970 merger.

The Buffalo Bills are listed as 14-point favorites when they host the Steelers and their rookie quarterback Sunday afternoon at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y.

Pickett, thrust into a starting role after replacing Mitch Trubisky at halftime Sunday in a 24-20 loss to the New York Jets, has been there before — just not in the NFL.

In 2017, as a freshman at Pitt, he led the 4-7 Panthers to a stunning 24-14 victory against second-ranked Miami, ruining the Hurricanes’ undefeated season.

“It’s the attitude with which you go about it,” Pickett said Wednesday after practice. “You guys and everyone else thinks we’re underdogs. We don’t. We’re going to go in there with some confidence. We know how great we can be when we’re detailed and we execute at a high level. That’s something we have to take care of during the week, or we won’t have a shot.”

In that 2017 game, Pickett ran for two touchdowns, the same as he did in his NFL debut against the Jets.

Since being named the starter by coach Mike Tomlin on Tuesday, Pickett has tried to get up to speed working with the starters. Until Wednesday, Pickett primarily worked with the second-team offense while Trubisky took all of the snaps with the first team.

“It’s going from no reps to getting reps,” he said. “I haven’t had a lot of reps with these guys, so this is a real valuable time for me and for them, for all of us to get on the same page.”

Pickett gave himself 24 hours to savor his first NFL playing experience. For all of the good he did in rallying the Steelers from a 10-6 deficit by rushing for touchdowns and completing 10 of 13 passes, Pickett also threw three interceptions, including one the Jets turned into the winning touchdown.

“I’m trying to keep it all the same,” Pickett said. “The only thing that is different is I’m getting reps. I got into a really good routine. Talked to coach Tomlin in the preseason and regular season about getting in a good routine so when the time comes, it won’t change. Only the reps change.

“I feel good with where I am right now.”

Center Mason Cole was impressed with how Pickett took control of the huddle when he entered in the third quarter against the Jets. It was the first time Cole has snapped to Pickett since the preseason.

“It’s a feel of the quarterback position just commanding the huddle,” Cole said. “He comes in with a sense of urgency, and guys listen to him, and that’s a really respectable (trait) of a quarterback. You don’t see that a whole lot with younger quarterbacks. For him to have that maturity is huge.”

The Steelers will need Pickett to play with poise if they hope to snap their three-game losing streak and upset the 3-1 Bills, who happen to have the NFL’s top-ranked pass defense.

“It’s a huge challenge,” Pickett said. “There’s a lot that goes into it. We could be here all day talking about the great things that they do, all the great players they have. … We have our work cut out for us. Details are going to help us win, so we have to get them ironed out quickly on offense.”

Trubisky is a player who can provide insight into the Bills given that he spent the 2021 season playing in Buffalo. What was planned as a homecoming of sorts for Trubisky as a starting quarterback was derailed by his benching.

Trubisky’s disappointment at losing his job hasn’t seeped into the quarterback room.

“Listen, Mitch is one of the best teammates I’ve been able to come across,” Pickett said. “I’m extremely grateful to have him in this room. I supported him a ton when he was in there, and he’s done the same for me. That will continue. We’re definitely great friends on the field and off the field. He’s someone I’m going to lean on throughout this experience. He’s been nothing but great to me.”

Pickett also made it clear that insight from teammates can only take him so far. He will rely more on the work he puts in during practice this week and the amount of film he watches in preparation for the game.

“When guys try to get too cute with it — what they run, look for signals, look for certain things, I can get outside my frame of what I need to do in my job,” he said. “I’m going to take some small things here and there, trust what I see, trust my reads and go out there and play fast.”