Kenny Pickett: Steelers 'moving in right direction' despite slow starts to games

Kenny Pickett can’t explain why he is so much better in the fourth quarter than he is in the first three. He’s just thankful his play in those 15 minutes has helped the Pittsburgh Steelers win back-to-back games and three of their past four.

Pickett had the sixth winning drive and fifth fourth-quarter comeback out of 18 career starts when he led the Steelers to a 24-17 victory at the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. He had another in the previous game against Baltimore.

Pickett was 7 of 7 for 138 yards in the fourth quarter while helping the Steelers rally from a 17-10 deficit. Counting the snaps on the drive that began late in the third quarter, he completed his final nine passes.

“It was a positive, for sure,” Pickett said Wednesday. “It’s nowhere where it needs to be. We want to play a full four quarters, but it was a positive for us.”

QB Kenny Pickett spoke to the media about our win over the Rams, the progress of the offense, and more. @edgarsnyder pic.twitter.com/RXDYDr6Mkx

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) October 25, 2023

Pickett has compiled a 102.8 passer rating in fourth quarters this season, ranking fifth among regular quarterbacks. He has completed passes at a 73% clip, and his seven pass plays of 20-plus yards is tied for third in the NFL.

Consider his work in the other quarters:

First: 45.8 passer rating, 56.2 completion percentage, 1 play of 20-plus yards

Second: 76.8 rating, 51.6 completion percentage, 4 plays of 20-plus yards

Third: 92.9 rating, 66.0 completion percentage, 6 plays of 20-plus yards

For the second half, only Justin Herbert (15) and Jaylen Hurts (14) have completed more passes of at least 20 yards than Pickett.

“(His demeanor) doesn’t change,” center Mason Cole said. “He’s steady Eddie. He’s a winner, man. In those big moments, he performs and executes, and I think we are seeing that consistently now.”

The obvious question is: Why can’t Pickett in particular and the Steelers offense in general play better until the fourth quarter arrives? The Steelers still haven’t generated any points on their first or second drives of games this season. Of the two touchdowns the Steelers have scored in the first quarter through six games, one came on an Alex Highsmith interception return.

“I can’t give you an answer on that,” Pickett said when asked about stumbling out of the gate. “I’m not sure what it is. It could be a guy here or there (out of place), a penalty, a sack, a negative run that puts you behind the chains, and you get out of those (scripted) plays.”

A sack of Pickett on the second offensive snap helped negate an 8-yard run by Najee Harris. On third down, Pickett threw a pass to George Pickens along the sideline that was caught out of bounds. It was the 10th time in 14 first-quarter drives that the Steelers punted after going three-and-out.

“Rest assured, we’re thorough in our process and our approach and when it’s time to change, or if it’s time to change, we’re not resistant to it,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “But we’ve also got a certain level of commitment to work and an improvement through work as well, individually and collectively.”

The Steelers got two first downs on their second drive against the Rams, with a 5-yard loss on a run by Harris helping lead to another punt. The third drive produced a field goal early in the second quarter but not until after Pickett was sacked for a second time.

After making protection adjustments, the offensive line didn’t allow Pickett to be sacked again.

“They gave us different looks early on that we didn’t see on tape,” Pickett said. “That puts a wrench in your plays. You have plays lined up. It all depends on what happens.”

This week, the 4-2 Steelers face the 5-2 Jacksonville Jaguars, who have yielded only 13 total points in the first quarter. That’s tied for second fewest allowed in the NFL.

Pickett, though, is willing to live with the slow starts as long as his strong finishes change the outcome of the game.

“We’re moving in the right direction,” he said. “The most important thing is we’re winning. I’m getting guys back healthy. It’s great to have Diontae (Johnson) back, the guys up front. (Pat Freiermuth) is still out, so we need other guys to step up. That is how it goes. We’re moving in the right direction, and we want to get there as fast as we can.”