Kenny Pickett has heard Mike Tomlin's word.
Tomlin somewhat laid the law down Tuesday by acknowledging the Steelers need more from their quarterback to conclude the 2023 season:
"Certainly. We're going to need more, particularly as this road narrows," Tomlin said. "Guys like Kenny and myself, we're measured by wins and losses. He and I talk about that often and openly. We know what our jobs are. Our jobs are to win. That's where we are. That's what our focus is. I love the fact that he embraces that. Down in and down out, are there some things to work on? Certainly. But it's not like we're going to start on Wednesday working on those things. We've been working on those things and we'll continue until we get the desired result."
Pickett's play has somewhat fallen into a narrative painted by who his offensive coordinator is, but he is not concerned about padding the box score or leading the league in passing categories.
The only stat that Pickett is concerned with is winning, which his Steelers have done six out of nine times this season.
"You've got to win at all costs in this game," Pickett said after Wednesday's practice on the South Side. "That's all I truly care about. Of course you want to light up the stat sheet, but as long as you're getting wins I'm OK with that. I sleep good with getting the win. Keep pushing, keep having that mindset, stay together as a group, and we're good."
The street runs both ways. While Matt Canada has not been among the NFL's best offensive coordinators in terms of producing yards and points, there is still the quotient of his quarterback's play to consider when it comes to these 6-3 Steelers.
Pickett completed 14 of 23 passes for 126 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions, and no turnovers Sunday against the Packers. The lack of interceptions and turnovers is desired without question, but Pickett's 5.5 yards per attempt and 60.8% completion rate could leave for more to be desired.
Pickett's season high in passing yards in a single game this season is 235 against the Raiders. That would rank 18th in the NFL on a game-by-game basis if he averaged that. Granted, he hasn't been asked to throw it often, as the most passing attempts in a game this season were his 46 in a Week 1 blowout loss to the 49ers, but he also has not taken as many chances downfield this season. Despite having an elite threat of George Pickens and with Diontae Johnson producing games of 85 and 90 yards receiving since returning from injured reserve, Pickett's 6.4 passing yards per attempt rank 26th in the NFL.
"I don't want to say we have to change anything. It's more so executing what ever play they call," Johnson said. "At the end of the day everybody runs the same plays, it's just worked different. So, it's just football and understanding down and distance and calling on the players to beat certain coverages they throw at us."
Now, it helps that the Steelers' identity has been achieved over the last two games with season highs in rushing yards as a team.
A strong output of 166 yards and 5.5 per carry against the Titans was chased by 205 yards and 5.7 per carry against the Packers Sunday. That most-recent output gave the Steelers 200-plus yards on the ground for the first time in nearly one calendar year -- Nov. 13, 2022, when the Steelers rushed for 217 yards in a win over the Saints.
"We're maturing, we're growing up, we're getting the running game going, trying to get that balance that we're always searching for," Pickett said. "We'll continue to push for that, but I think where we're at right now with the run game is in a much better place when we played (the Browns) in Week 2."
This is the identity the Steelers crave, and it is an identity the front office prepared for with their moves in the last two offseasons.
Improvements are still desired, though. For instance, the lack of a passing attempt in between the hashmarks Sunday against the Packers likely won't fly against the Browns. That might be remedied with a potential return of Pat Freiermuth off of injured reserve this week -- though Freiermuth said Wednesday “we’ll see how this week of practice goes" when it comes to determining that. Pickett said Freiermuth's return would be "huge" and would provide another weapon to "respect" across the middle.
"Absolutely, but if its one-on-one on the outside and it's clean out there, then that's where we can take our opportunities," Pickett said of using the middle of the field. "Whatever the defense dictates, that's what we want to attack, so we've just got to continue to work that way."
They don't mind how it happens as long as winning persists.
"I don't need the external motivation. I'm pretty motivated internally," Pickett said. "I want to play great every game. I'm pushing towards that, I'm working towards that, so I'll keep going that way."
Sustainability is still a factor. With the Steelers succeeding in running the football but not getting as much production from the passing game, the risk rises of teams beginning to sell out to stop Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren and ceding those chances for Pickett and his receivers.
According to STATS, the Steelers rank 25th in the NFL with 13 explosive pass plays of 25 or more yards. Meanwhile, the Steelers' 30 rushes of 10 or more yards is tied for 10th-most in the NFL.
"I think that's across the board, more than anybody," Allen Robinson told me. "That's not just a Kenny thing. I think that when we go out and look at the offense and look at plays, I think the expectation for ourselves is always wanting more from everybody across the board. ... Last game we were able to run the ball, do some things like that. Even down the stretch of the game, being able to push the ball down the field when we need and being able to move the ball in certain times and things like that. I would say playing solid situationally, but I would also think of finding ways to create more explosives to open things up a little bit."