8 Plays That Made Steelers Nation Believe in Kenny Pickett

The usual of this week Plays of the year The column is being replaced with something else as we’re about to open the Steelers’ training camp next week at Saint Vincent’s College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

The atmosphere outside Chuck Noll Field will be different, too, as the Steelers come to camp with a different group of quarterbacks than the four who stood on the same turf just a year ago. One of the players no longer with the team is Pittsburgh’s former 2022 first-round draft pick Kenny Pickett. Pickett, who was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason, was once seen by many as a potential heir to Ben Roethlisberger’s quarterback throne.

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Many fans were betting that Pickett could become a franchise quarterback. Some even felt that he was a heavy favorite to be nominated for a Rookie of the Year Award. For these enthusiasts, structures like the Parimatch Register offer an exciting way to engage with these events, adding to the already exciting environment.

But things didn’t work out, but there were times when we were optimistic that it could happen. Since Pickett is no longer with the team and we wanted to share some highlights from the 2023 season, we’ve combined them with some other highlights from the Pitt Panther product’s career in the Burgh.

Below are some of Kenny Pickett’s defining moments that made us believe he could become the Steelers’ next franchise quarterback.

Kenny Pickett with a QB sneak for his first career rushing TD

Week 4 of the 2022 NFL season featured two 1-2 teams looking to stay out of the cellars of their respective divisions, as the Pittsburgh Steelers hosted the New York Jets. Things looked bleak for the Steelers, who entered halftime trailing their opponent 10-6. But that fortune would change in the second half when head coach Mike Tomlin made a move at quarterback, benching starter Mitchell Trubisky in favor of first-round rookie Kenny Pickett.

This 3rd-and-1 play gave Pickett his first touchdown in the National Football League.

The Steelers would lose 24-20 to the Jets, but from that point on it was ‘Kenny Mania’.

Kenny Pickett’s first touchdown pass in the NFL

Coming off a disappointing loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 5 of the 2022 NFL regular season, not many had high hopes for a Steelers rookie quarterback to go up against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 6. Despite the lack of optimism, Pickett led the Steelers offense down the field and earned his first NFL passing touchdown.

Pickett drew first blood in the game, finding Najee Harris short left for a six-yard touchdown pass and catch that electrified the Steelers fans and gave Pittsburgh a 7-0 lead after Chris Boswell converted the PAT. The Steelers would go on to win the game, but Pickett would be forced out with an injury just over two quarters into the game.

Pickett and Johnson connect on the Steelers’ longest pass play of the 2022 season (so far)

With just over five minutes left in the third quarter, the Steelers offense took over after an Andy Dalton fumble led to a Saints punt. Pittsburgh marched 83 yards down the field. The biggest play came on 1st-and-10 from their own 44-yard line.

Johnson was one-on-one with Paulson Adebo on the right when Pickett saw his target move away.

Although the Steelers could only close the series with three points on a Matthew Wright field goal, Pickett and Johnson connected on four carries for 63 yards in the game, giving Johnson the top receiver position for the Steelers in the 20-10 victory, which extended the Steelers’ record to 3-6.

Pickett finds Pickens for game-winning touchdown connection

By Week 16 of the 2022 season, the Steelers’ season was turning around. The team had rebounded to a 6-8 record when they hosted the Las Vegas Raiders on Christmas Eve in a nationally televised game that pitted the six-game slate against each other in a game commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception.

The Steelers offense had struggled to break down the Raiders defense for most of the night, but on this series, Pickett showed he was in control of the game. He completed 4 of 6 passes and led the team to the Raiders’ 15-yard line before being confronted on a 4th-and-1, with Pickett stretching to gain a first down.

With 1st-and-10 from the Las Vegas 14 with 50 seconds left, the offense stretched three receivers to Pickett’s right, but almost immediately you could get a sense of where this ball was going: #14 George Pickens, who was lined up on the inside slot. Pickett threw the ball to his wide-open target, which would prove to be the winning one as the Steelers improved to 7-8 on the season, keeping their slim playoff chances alive with a final score of 13-10.

Pickett scores the winning goal against the Ravens with Harris

The Pittsburgh Steelers were on the road on New Year’s Day to play the Baltimore Ravens for the second time during the 2022 NFL regular season.

After losing by just two points in Week 14, the Steelers trailed by five in the fourth quarter until the defense made a game-winning save and the offense orchestrated their second comeback victory in back-to-back games. Pickett made a veteran effort, throwing a game-winning touchdown pass to Najee Harris with 56 seconds left.

The win gave the Steelers an 8-8 record. They would finish the season at 9-8, but narrowly missed the playoffs due to tiebreakers.

All the highlights from Kenny Pickett’s 2023 NFL preseason

Although the pre-season is considered a practice game, the Steelers got off to a strong start with successful opening drives that provided a taste of what could have been.

It was hard to ignore Pickett’s play. The sophomore quarterback posted a perfect 158.3 QB rating during preseason, completing 13 of 15 passes for 199 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Pickett would complete 86.6% of his passes, as all five of his preseason drives ended in touchdowns.

Kenny Pickett connects with Calvin Austin for a 72-yard tying touchdown

The first two weeks of the 2023 regular season haven’t exactly been kind to the Steelers’ offense, but Pickett needed one more “good” game against the Raiders to look like he was back in charge.

On third-and-7 at the Pittsburgh 28-yard line with 6:12 left in the first quarter, Pickett took the snap from the shotgun. Raiders pass rusher Maxx Crosby flew into a hole where running back Jaylen Warren – about as big a size difference as there could be – blew into for a key pass block that gave Pickett time to scan his receivers’ routes. The pass couldn’t have gone better, and Austin earned his first official NFL touchdown reception on the play.

The play gave the Steelers a 7-7 tie with the Raiders that held until Chris Boswell’s 43-yard field goal in the second quarter. Pittsburgh held the lead the rest of the way and ran away with the final score, 23-18.

Pickett finds Pickens for 41-yard game-winning touchdown

Perhaps Pickett’s last decisive play in a black and gold uniform came when the passer once again took advantage of the Baltimore Ravens defense to make a key play in Week 5 of the 2023 season.

Baltimore entered the game with one win over Pittsburgh, but the Steelers had the last chance to act when rookie Joey Porter Jr. intercepted a pass from Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, giving Pittsburgh’s offense the ball back and a chance at victory.

On second-and-9 from the Baltimore 41-yard line, with just 1:17 left on the clock, Pickett pulled the trigger on a deep pass to George Pickens’ right, resulting in the winning touchdown.