After a very disappointing loss to a Jets team that has been one of the worst franchises in the NFL in recent memory, the Steelers now sit at 1-3 with a four-game stretch awaiting them at Buffalo, at home against Tampa Bay, at Miami, and finally, at Philadelphia before their bye week, something for which this team surely will be deeply grateful.
Those four upcoming opponents are a combined 12-2 and a strong argument can be made that the Bills and Eagles are the favorites in their respective conferences to go to the Super Bowl. These four have collectively scored 121 more points than they have allowed in 2022.
While this isn’t set in stone as of this writing, it sure looks as though the Kenny Pickett era has officially begun in Pittsburgh. And it is time to embrace it.
So how should the Steelers handle this murderer’s row until their bye week?
Simple: Embrace the challenge and improve as a football team against the best teams in the NFL.
That could mean getting blown out four straight weeks or, maybe, in Mike Tomlin fashion, sneaking out an unlikely win or two when no one expects it before the bye. But, no matter what, this team needs to treat this stretch as a great opportunity to put some very valuable building blocks in place around Pickett.
Now Tomlin and company will never admit to handling it this way, but the Steelers should almost treat these four games like the preseason. That is overstating it without question, but Tomlin, Matt Canada, and Pickett should use these extreme tests to really find out what is best for the young quarterback.
From the minute Pickett was inserted into the lineup, the top goal for the entire Steelers organization must be making Pickett’s career a success. That goes for ownership, the front office, the entire coaching staff-including those on the defensive side of the ball, to the strength and conditioning staff, to the folks the clean the Southside facility and those that prepare the players their meals. The entire organization must be in on it.
It takes a village to raise an NFL quarterback.
That isn’t to suggest that Pickett needs to be babied or spoon-fed in any way. He needs to be challenged. He needs to learn what it is like to play in NFL stadiums against fantastic opponents. And that is exactly what Pickett will deal with.
Led by probably the NFL’s best player, the Bills are outstanding on both sides of the ball. Tampa Bay might have the NFL’s best defense and, while their offense has been a huge problem this year due to injuries on the offensive line and at wide receiver, they have a guy named Tom Brady on that side of the ball to get things figured out.
The Dolphins have an extremely innovative and forward-thinking head coach with a pair of terrifying wide receivers, and a defense, built by Brian Flores, that is as aggressive with blitz and man coverage concepts as any in the league. The Eagles are the best team in football on both lines of scrimmage and are clearly the best team in the NFC right now.
This four-game stretch might be tough for many Steelers fans to watch. It might be very ugly. That is certainly a possibility.
However, within the building, Tomlin will have so much more information about his first-round quarterback when the bye hits than he does now.
And that will be something to build off.
Pickett’s mental makeup on and off the field suggest that he will not wither in the face of adversity, but rather will grow and learn from such immense challenges. The young offense around him will certainly take some lumps, but much will be revealed during this stretch. Pickett’s teammates George Pickens and Pat Freiermuth are strongly trending to become stars in this league while the rest of the offensive personnel looks like it has fewer holes than most imagined.
And hey, the defense should get that T.J. Watt guy back during that stretch to keep things a little more competitive.
Now folks, this isn’t designed to blow smoke up your you-know-whats, but the Steelers could really reap what they sow after that Week 9 bye. The NFL changes very quickly -- as Miami quickly and unfortunately recently found out with Tua Tagovailoa’s injury -- but the back half of the Steelers' schedule looks very favorable all of the sudden. And if some lessons are learned with Pickett and by this coaching staff, the taste in your mouths might be very different in a few months than it is right now.
The Steelers have four post-bye divisional games, two vs. Baltimore and one remaining against the Browns (presumably with Deshaun Watson) and the Bengals. That is a good thing. The Steelers are currently only one game behind those three teams in the AFC North. It is probably a smart assumption that that divisional deficit will be greater by the time Week 10 rolls around, but we shouldn’t look at the rest of the division and think that those three teams are not without issues of their own. As a group, the AFC North isn’t living up to high expectations.
The Falcons and Panthers looked like bottom-feeding teams going into the season and that remains the case, especially with Carolina, who might have an interim head coach by the time the Steelers play them in December.
The Saints, Colts, and Raiders looked like possible playoff teams before Week 1, but collectively, those three teams have just three wins through four weeks of play. New Orleans, Indianapolis, and Las Vegas are in no better shape than the Steelers are right now.
Pickett did some very good things in his regular season debut and was excellent in the preseason:
At first glance, this doesn’t seem like much. But watch Pickett’s helmet, which shows us where he is with his eyes. Pickett shows a very “calm helmet” on this play even though there is clearly nothing to his liking downfield in the route combination.
Instead of overreacting, Pickett calmly takes what the defense gives him, darts towards the sidelines, and moves the chains. Most rookie quarterbacks that didn’t expect to even be involved in this game wouldn’t have made this play look so nonchalant. And then he gives a little confident smile after picking up the first down. Pickett is very comfortable.
Now watch this:
Here is an example of Pickett playing on time and on schedule, exactly as the play was drawn up. It also is a great example of Pickett’s accuracy and ball placement. He puts this ball where only Pickens can get it. Size, speed, and strength are wonderful attributes for an NFL quarterback, but nothing is more important than accuracy, anticipation, and running the offense as it is designed … all strengths of Pickett’s game. And Pickens appreciates it.
Pickett isn’t bashful about pulling the trigger and letting his receivers make plays. He sees the field very well and goes through his progressions like a much more experienced passer. He plays on time and on schedule. He runs the plays the way they were meant to be run and that might seem like a small thing, but make no mistake, coaching staffs do not see it that way.
The Steelers are not winning the Super Bowl this year, and this upcoming four-game stretch might produce some very unpleasant results to the naked eye. But that is how we all grow up, mature, and learn. Playing quarterback in the NFL at a high level is incredibly hard, and Pickett will deal with that from the get-go. But don’t be surprised when he and the Steelers come out on the other side much better for it.
Those final nine games of the Steelers' schedule could really change your opinion of where this franchise is.
