After blowing a 10-point fourth quarter lead to the New York Jets, the Pittsburgh Steelers are now 1-3, and have a rough gauntlet in front of them. Here are our thoughts after Pittsburgh’s third consecutive loss, and what comes next.
Kenny Pickett’s jolt of energy for the Pittsburgh Steelers
Well, they finally went and did it. After a month of subpar quarterback play and bland offensive production, Mike Tomlin benched Mitch Trubisky at halftime in favor of Kenny Pickett, and the change of pace was evident from the first drive. Pickett threw a perfectly placed deep ball to Chase Claypool, which was dropped by Claypool and intercepted off the tip.
The Steelers got the ball back off a Minkah Fitzpatrick interception, and capitalized with a Pickett rushing touchdown. The No. 24 overall pick then led a long touchdown drive capped off by another keeper that put the Steelers up by 10. Overall, Pickett went 10-of-13 for 120 yards, two rushing touchdowns and three interceptions. The first two interceptions were the fault of the intended receivers.
The aforementioned Claypool drop, and then a pass that hit Pat Freiermuth in the hands deflected into the hands a Jets defender. The third interception came on a hail mary on the game’s final play. This loss isn’t on Pickett. Without him, the Steelers get blown out at home by an inferior opponent because of bad quarterback play.
He gave them a big jolt of electricity, specifically with his chemistry with George Pickens, who had six catches for 102 yards. The Steelers may be 1-3, but their chances of winning will be better going forward with Pickett at the helm.
Related: Pittsburgh Steelers’ George Pickens and NFL rookies who stood out in Week 4
The Pittsburgh Steelers defense, once again, choked late
The Steelers fourth quarter defense is bad. We can point at T.J. Watt being out all we want, but there are still multiple All-Pros on that side of the ball, and they have solid depth all over the field.
Cam Heyward being largely a non-factor in two of the last three games is a problem. Consistently giving up first downs on third and long situations is a problem. T.J. Watt or not, middling receivers like Jakobi Meyers and Corey Davis shouldn’t torch the Steelers’ secondary. Davis had five catches for 74 yards and a touchdown.
Meyers had nine catches for 95 yards in Week 2. There is no excuse for that. Nor is there is an excuse for ranking 26th in third down defense, or blowing a 10 point lead in the fourth quarter by allowing Zach Wilson to drive down the field twice in the final 10 minutes of the game- all are inexcusable. Alex Highsmith and Minkah Fitzpatrick are the only two players on that side of the ball that have consistently made plays. With a trip to Buffalo on the horizon, what we’ve seen simply won’t cut it.
Related: Pittsburgh Steelers schedule and game-by-game predictions
The Pittsburgh Steelers season could already be over
Pittsburgh couldn’t afford to lose to the Jets. Now at 1-3, their next four games are as follows with the opposing team’s standing in Sportsnaut’s NFL Week 5 power rankings in paranthesis.
- @ Buffalo Bills (#2)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (#6)
- @ Miami Dolphins (#7)
- @ Philadelphia Eagles (#1)
The Steelers are now staring 1-7 in the face, as their next month of opponents is of unmatched in its difficulty. At the very best, Pittsburgh surprises two of these teams and gets a 2-2 split to get to 3-5 at the halfway point of the season with a chance to make a late push for a wildcard spot. At worst, they lose seven straight, and questions start being asked about the coaching staff and what should happen going forward.
Making the switch to Pickett at least gives the Steelers something to be excited about, and they are in a better position to win with him. In totality, though, the 2022 season could already be in the wash for Pittsburgh.