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Kenny Pickett has been participating in practice this week and may be able to play when the Steelers host the Baltimore Ravens Sunday. That may not be the best thing for head coach Mike Tomlin and his charges.
The second-year quarterback suffered a painful shoulder bruise in the Steelers' Week 4 loss to the Houston Texans, and he had to come out of the game. He was under siege while he was in, and his numbers were not impressive. Pickett completed 15 of 23 passes for 114 yards with no touchdowns and 1 interception, and he was sacked 3 times.
He was replaced by Mitchell Trubisky, and the former Bears and Bills quarterback is clearly a backup. If he happened to play a good game or two, he would not be a threat to become the Steelers' permanent starter.
The point is that Pickett has no reason to fear that the current backup could take his job on a permanent basis, and that should ease his mind.
However, Pickett may need to hit the reset button based on his and the team's slow start this season. He may want to play against the Ravens, and he may pass all the benchmarks, but sitting out this Week 5 game with a bye week coming up the following week could get the quarterback on track for the rest of the season.
“I took what I needed to take in terms of what they were telling me, the doctors and trainers that we have here,” Pickett said. “As we go through the week, it will probably go based on what they say.”
Pickett, Steelers struggling with early-season performances
Expectations for the Steelers were relatively strong heading into the season after they closed the 2022 season with wins in 6 of their last 7 games and a 4-game winning streak.
However, the Steelers have been anything but impressive in their first 4 games. They have played quite poorly in losses to the 49ers and Texans, and they did just enough to beat the Browns in Week 2 and the Raiders in Week 3.
The record is the most positive aspect of the early-season performance. They were largely outplayed by the Browns, but still figured out a way to win the game.
They played a better game against the Raiders and Pickett was moderately impressive as he completed 16 of 28 passes for 235 yards with 2 touchdowns and no interceptions. The Pittsburgh offensive line also did a fairly good job as it allowed just one sack of Pickett and opened a few holes for running back Najee Harris.
However, if Steelers fans expected a carry over against Houston, they were sorely disappointed.
Tomlin was quite disappointed with his team as a whole, and that included Pickett. He has promised changes for the Week 5 game against the Ravens.
But the one thing that Tomlin and the Steelers don't have to feel is desperation. They are 2-2 and just a game behind the Ravens in the AFC North. They are tied with the Browns and a game ahead of the Bengals.
The Steelers have to play a better brand of football, but it does not have to be immediate.
Improvement after the bye
Sitting Pickett against the Ravens could be the best thing for the Steelers for the rest of the 2023 season.
After their bye week, the Steelers go to Los Angeles to play the Rams, a beatable team that has played at a surprisingly competitive level. The Steelers have been at their best after the bye week in recent years, having won their last 6 games in those situations.
Following that game they have home games against the Jaguars, Titans and Packers, and all of those games are winnable.
Success in those 4 games may depend on having a healthy and rested team.
The Steelers offense is at or near the bottom of the league in three key statistical categories, including 30th in points scored (12.0 points per game), 29th in yards per game (263) and last in first downs per game (13.3).
Pickett ranks 29th in completion percentage (60.6) and 29th in passer rating (76.3). He has thrown 4 interceptions to this point in the season.
If Kenny Pickett plays against the Ravens, there is a chance they could find a way to win, but there may be a better chance that the quarterback puts himself in harm's way and jeopardizes the rest of the season.
Tomlin needs to take a long view of the season and realize that the team will have a chance to grow and improve even if Sunday's game against the Ravens does not go well.
He is a smart and experienced coach, and he can help his team by avoiding the thought that the season is on the line Sunday.
