Mike Tomlin sees intangible qualities become tangible for Steelers rookie QB Kenny Pickett

For the second time in five games, rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett directed a fourth-quarter comeback for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

When he led a 10-play, 76-yard drive Saturday that ended with a 14-yard touchdown pass to George Pickens with 46 seconds left in a 13-10 victory against Las Vegas, it was the first time Pickett had rallied the Steelers to a win in the final two minutes.

Coach Mike Tomlin called it a “growth opportunity” for the offense and knew the first-round pick from Pitt possessed the qualities to make the winning drive happen.

“I know it’s not the first time I’ve seen it,” Tomlin said Tuesday at his weekly press conference. “I know it’s not the first time people from Western Pa. have seen it. We’ve seen him do it next door. That’s why we had such a great deal of comfort in his intangible quality from a draft evaluation perspective. We were in close proximity to it.

“When you’re in a close proximity to it, it becomes less intangible. You can almost feel it. It is real.”

Pickett completed 7 of 9 passes for 75 yards on the drive. He also gained a yard on a fourth-and-one sneak that was the only running play on the possession. Before Pickett found fellow rookie Pickens for the touchdown, he attempted five passes to second-year running back Najee Harris on checkdowns and completed three passes to second-year tight end Pat Freiermuth.

“When you’re in those weighty moments, and you’re looking around at people, you like to feel their presence,” Tomlin said. “In a lot of instances, I did. I didn’t see big eyes. I saw sure eyes. I saw guys that understood what was at stake and guys that looked prepared to do it.

“Now, you’ve got to go do it. But I liked the feel of the group leading up to it.”

Defending the run

In the game against Baltimore on Dec. 11, the Steelers allowed 215 yards rushing, the most since they had given up 249 to the Ravens in the 2021 regular-season finale.

In both instances, Tyler Huntley was at quarterback for Baltimore, subbing for an injured Lamar Jackson. Huntley likely will start again Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium.

It’s the quarterback mobility component – whether it’s Jackson or Huntley – that has Tomlin’s attention.

“It’s 11 on 11 football,” Tomlin said. “It’s mathematics. Traditional offenses, with non-running quarterbacks, they play with 10 in the running game. When you have quarterback mobility and a willingness to use it, you play with 11. Whether the quarterback has the ball or not, you have to account for him. Obviously, that makes run defense more challenging.”

Facing more traditional quarterbacks the past two weeks in Carolina’s Sam Darnold and Las Vegas’ Derek Carr, the Steelers yielded 21 and 58 rushing yards, respectively. Since the bye week, the Steelers have held opponents to 110 yards or fewer in five of seven games.

“I don’t know that it was a fork in the road for our run defense,” Tomlin said of the improvements since the Ravens game. “More than anything, I thought we had a bad day. I thought our run defense has been really solid over the second half of the year. It wasn’t reflected in our play that day.”

Injury update

A day after special teams player Marcus Allen underwent surgery on his biceps, the Steelers played him on injured reserve and signed linebacker Tae Crowder off the New York Giants practice squad.

Crowder, a seventh-round pick of the Giants in 2020, has made 31 starts in 40 games with his former team and had two sacks, eight pass breakups, two interceptions and two forced fumbles in his career.

The Steelers also re-signed safety Scott Nelson to the practice squad. He was on the practice squad in October.

After missing a week of practice, strong safety Terrell Edmunds did not play against the Raiders because of a hamstring injury.

Damontae Kazee replaced Edmunds in the starting lineup. This created more playing time for second-year safety Tre Norwood before he also suffered a hamstring injury against the Raiders. Elijah Riley, promoted from the practice squad, filled Norwood’s role and played 10 snaps on defense.

“I’m assuming (Edmunds) is going to push back toward availability,” Tomlin said. “I didn’t want to be presumptuous. We’ll let participation be our guide. I fully expect him to be available to us.

Inside linebacker Myles Jack continues to be monitored for a hamstring injury that has limited his playing time.