Promising drive vs. Raiders provides reminder of capabilities of Steelers offense

For one third-quarter possession Sunday night, it was the preseason all over again for Kenny Pickett and the Pittsburgh Steelers offense.

Pickett presided over a drive in the 23-18 victory at Las Vegas that went 81 yards in six plays. The Steelers collected five first downs. Four players touched the ball. The result was a touchdown, on a play-action pass to tight end Pat Freiermuth.

It was the way the Steelers offense operated in the preseason when it scored on all five possessions that Pickett was on the field. That included three drives that spanned at least 83 yards, with each one lasting at least six plays, an example of the ease with which Pickett led the offense down the field.

“That’s what we want to be,” offensive coordinator Matt Canada said Thursday. “We ran the ball, we had misdirection, we threw it. We want to be a balanced offense that can take advantage of what the defense gives us.”

The Steelers, of course, would prefer not to wait three games to piece together their most complete possession of the season. And they would like to get those type of touchdown drives more than once a game.

Still, it was a promising start, one the Steelers hope to build on Sunday when they play the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium.

“We just continue to work,” Canada said. “It’s not magical. We have great belief in what we’re doing, great belief in the players, great belief in the coaches. Until things are right consistently, we’re not going to be happy.”

On the previous possession, which opened the second half, Chris Boswell kicked his third field goal to extend the Steelers’ lead to 16-7. Patrick Peterson’s interception five plays later gave the ball back to the offense at the Las Vegas 19.

To that point, the Steelers had scored three offensive touchdowns through 10 quarters on the season. That included a 12-play, 95-yard march with Pickett running the two-minute offense late in the first half against San Francisco. The Steelers were trying to claw back from a 20-0 deficit in that game.

This time, they were trying to build upon a lead and sustain a flow that had eluded the offense on so many other possessions.

The first play was a pass to George Pickens that gained 17 yards. Jaylen Warren had a 4-yard run. Pickett followed with a pass to Warren for 16 yards and one to Freiermuth for 14. Najee Harris broke off a 17-yard run that put the ball on the 13, the first time since the third quarter of the opener against San Francisco that the Steelers had a snap inside the red zone.

Pickett faked a handoff, rolled to his left and threw across his body to a wide-open Freiermuth in the end zone.

“That’s the kind of drive you’re looking for,” Pickett said. “Obviously, it’s not always going to be like that, but that’s what you’re searching for. It was also to go out there and get so many different guys involved.”

Mission accomplished. Pickett was 4 of 4 for 60 yards on the drive. He was 12 of 24 for 175 yards on the other 10 full possessions while generating one short touchdown drive and three that ended with field goals.

“I like that we scored,” Canada said. “It was a good drive. We made some plays. We’ve got to find a way to stay on the field, convert third downs. We did a few of those things on that drive, had a good run and then had a good play at the end.

“For us to be successful and be who we want to be, different guys have to make plays. On that drive, we kind of did that, which was good.”

Now, it’s a matter of doing it more consistently, which wasn’t the case after that third-quarter touchdown drive against the Raiders. The Steelers went three-and-out on their next two possessions and needed a first down on their third drive of the fourth quarter to hold on after the Raiders had scored 11 unanswered points.

“You just want to execute and stay on the field and keep the defense on the bench,” Pickett said. “They do an unbelievable job, and we want to return the favor and have them relax in that fourth-quarter situation while we’re out there working, so they can chill. We need to be better in that standpoint and not let teams hang around.”