Another week, another ugly win for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The team has been outgained in every game this season, but through savvy and grit has managed to achieve a 4-2 record on the year. The Steelers' latest victory came against the Los Angeles Rams in a contest where the team scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to comeback and emerge triumphant on the road.
While it was hardly a banner game for the team, a couple of Steelers managed to stand out in this important contest. Here are the Steelers' two biggest heroes from the Week 7 comeback win over the Rams.
Kenny Pickett
While not the flashiest, Kenny Pickett provided the type of steady performance on Sunday that Steelers fans have come to expect. He completed 17/25 passes for 230 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. As usual, the Pittsburgh offense took until the second half to wake up. The team had 65 total yards on 26 players during the first 30 minutes, then managed three touchdowns on five drives in the second period before running out the clock on the fifth and final drive.
The second-year QB came up especially big in clutch situations. After the defense forced a three-and-out early in the fourth quarter, Pickett got the ball back at his own 20 yard-line. He proceeded to march the team down the field, picking up 80 yards on 10 plays before Najee Harris ran in for the go-ahead touchdown. 53 of those yards came in the air as Pickett found George Pickens for a pair of big completions down the field and hit Diontae Johnson for an important 11-yard gain.
Pickett's most important contributions arguably came the the drive that finished out the game. The Steelers' defense once again forced a punt, giving the offense the ball back at its own 14-yard-line with 5:28 left. With the running game struggling, Pittsburgh turned to Kenny Pickett to make the plays that sealed the win. The young quarterback hit Pickens for a huge 31-yard completion on third and three then converted the QB sneak on fourth down to ensure that the Rams never got the ball back. It was another clutch performance for Kenny Pickett who did just what the Steelers needed to earn the victory in Week 7.
George Pickens
Whenever the Steelers needed a big play against the Rams, Kenny Pickett was able to provide one. More often than not, it was George Pickens on the receiving end. The second-year wideout finished with his second consecutive 100-yard game, posting 107 yards on five catches. In a game where the Steelers struggled to move the ball, Pickens accounted for five of the team's 17 first downs on the afternoon — picking up two on the go-ahead touchdown drive in the fourth quarter and another one on the game-sealing drive that allowed the team to run the clock out.
Pickens now has three 100-yard receiving games on the season, and with an average of 18.5 yards per catch — second-best in the NFL — he is proving to be the big-play threat that the Steelers needed. It is also clear that Pickens is the guy that Pickett turns to when the team needs to make something happen. This trust between quarterback and wide receiver will be crucial to the success of the Pittsburgh offense moving forward and could be one the top duos in the NFL for years to come.