Getting the Steelers' ground game going is an all-encompassing benefit, and it especially goes that way for Kenny Pickett.
The Steelers rushed for a season-high 166 yards in Thursday's win over the Titans, marking a feat that is hoping to turn into a trend instead of remaining a blip for the development and progress of Matt Canada's offense. Najee Harris posted 69 of those yards, while Jaylen Warren was able to break through for a career-high 87 against the Titans. The top running backs also broke for a pair of explosive runs, as Harris' longest went for 25 yards and Warren's for 22 Thursday.
Conventionally, having a running game as successful as the Steelers' was only opens up more for Pickett and the Steelers' passing game. An opportunity for the ground game to flourish comes again Sunday, as the Packers' defense has allowed 124.0 yards per game on the ground.
"It was huge," Pickett said after Wednesday's practice on the South Side. "I thought the balance was there. (Harris and Warren) ran the ball great and the line was firing off the ball, staying clean the majority of the game. That's what we're trying to get to here."
Pickett has benefitted from the Steelers' usage of play-action, even with the running game largely struggling with consistency this season.
On those plays, Pickett has completed 20 of 27 passes (74.1%) for 228 yards and a 123.7 passer rating. Two of Pickett's six passing touchdowns this season were thrown as a result of play-action.
On play-action, Pickett is averaging 8.4 yards per attempt and 9.9 air yards per attempt, compared to 6.2 yards and 5.7 air yards on non-play-action plays this season. On non-play-action plays this season, Pickett is completing 59.6% of his passes with four touchdowns, four interceptions, and a 76.0 rating.
He has substantially improved with the usage of play-action this season compared to last. In 2022, Pickett completed 60% of his passes with no touchdowns, an interception, and a 65.9 rating out of play-action. He was also throwing it for shorter distances on those play-action passes in 2022, as he averaged 4.8 yards and 4.1 air yards per play-action pass.
"It all starts with the run and when you see it working well, that's when you start seeing the play-action opening up down the field," Pickett said. "Linebackers are stepping up, safeties are stepping up. You're able to have some explosive plays or have some really good intermediate routes that get guys open."
Pickett has also been effective in the limited passes afforded by RPO plays. On those run-pass-option selections, Pickett has completed 11 of 14 passes (78.6%) for 136 yards, one touchdown, and zero interceptions for a 131.0 rating. On non-RPO plays, Pickett has completed just 60.2% for five touchdowns, four interceptions, and a 78.4 rating.
George Pickens has been a main beneficiary of Pickett's success in play-action passing this season. On such plays, Pickens has hauled in four of six targets for 124 yards (31.0 per reception) and a touchdown. His other three receptions resulted in first downs. Pickens said the Steelers were able to achieve success downfield against the Titans because the running game was succeeding.
"It brought the safety down from the Titans a lot," Pickens said. "That's probably the most I've seen out of another team that had the safeties that low."
Just as the case with play-action, Pickett is also apt to throw it downfield in an RPO setting. On RPO pass plays, Pickett is averaging 9.7 yards and 11.1 air yards per attempt, compared to 6.3 yards and 5.9 air yards per attempt on non-RPO plays.
"It helps out a lot, just having running backs getting the run game going," Diontae Johnson said. "That makes the defense come down. They can't stay in that two-high shell the whole game and just drop back and cover and let the D-line work. Once we get the run game going that opens up a lot."
In 2022, Pickett completed 65.5% of his passes for zero touchdowns, one interception, and a 61.7 rating off of RPOs.
Anthony McFarland was activated off of injured reserve Monday, which gives the Steelers' running backs room another well-rounded option to deploy in place of Harris or Warren. McFarland's pass-catching ability could also be utilized in two-back sets alongside either Warren or Harris, something the Steelers have not had the luxury of doing since their preparations for Week 1. McFarland was placed on injured reserve after that game against the 49ers.
"You just never know how things are going to play out, so my mindset these last couple of weeks is just to control what I can control, just be happy that I'm here, being around my teammates, and just having fun with it," McFarland told me before Wednesday's practice. "It's a blessing, honestly, how I look at it. That's what my mindset is, even being on (the practice) squad last year."
McFarland told me he felt like he was healthy enough to play last Sunday against the Jaguars and Thursday against the Titans. Thursday's performance from the Steelers' running backs impressed McFarland.
"Just the way that we were able to control the line of scrimmage as an offense, and just got going, really," McFarland said. "I heard (practice squad running back Qadree Ollison) say earlier, we're just scratching the surface at how good we can be as an offense. Not just as a running game, but as an offense completely."
In addition to McFarland's return to the running backs room, the Steelers are likely to benefit from the boost that Broderick Jones provided to the offensive line on Thursday.
Chukwuma Okorafor was benched as a result of an incident that occurred last Sunday against the Jaguars. Before Wednesday's practice, Okorafor declined to comment on specifics of what he said to merit a benching, though Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that that incident was a "significant" reason for the move.
Okorafor said he expects Jones to start against the Packers, and he is taking the move "day by day" while helping Jones' transition to the right side. He said Jones' ability to move was the one thing that stood out to him from Thursday.
"He can move for someone for his size," Okorafor said. "He can move, and I feel like he's so young, I feel like he showed he knows how to play with technique every single snap. I think he's going to end up playing at left or right which, I think, is pretty special."
