{"id":35754,"date":"2022-12-31T12:31:40","date_gmt":"2022-12-31T17:31:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/?p=35754"},"modified":"2022-12-31T12:31:40","modified_gmt":"2022-12-31T17:31:40","slug":"the-b-gap-rookies-kenny-pickett-and-george-pickens-keeping-steelers-offense-above-water","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/2022\/12\/31\/the-b-gap-rookies-kenny-pickett-and-george-pickens-keeping-steelers-offense-above-water\/","title":{"rendered":"The B-Gap: Rookies Kenny Pickett and George Pickens keeping Steelers\u2019 offense above water"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Sam Robb O\u2019Hagan<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

There was something so satisfying about George Pickens\u2019 14-yard game winning touchdown catch against the Las Vegas Raiders last Saturday night.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was the aesthetic quality of it all \u2014 the gorgeous uniform matchup between the Raiders and the Pittsburgh Steelers, one of the NFL\u2019s most historic rivalries, under the floodlights at a perfectly wintry Acrisure Stadium, each player\u2019s frigid breath visible from the broadcast angle.<\/span><\/p>\n

There was the backdrop of the loving memory of Franco Harris, beholder of <\/span>the <\/span><\/i>iconic NFL moment, who passed away just days before. Harris\u2019 \u201cimmaculate reception\u201d was made exactly 50 years ago to the day on a cold December Saturday in Pittsburgh against the Raiders.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As Pickens caught that game-winning football in the yellow pay-dirt, you couldn\u2019t <\/span>not<\/span><\/i> be immediately reminded of Harris and his own game-winning touchdown catch against the Raiders half a century before.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It was perfect, vintage football from the most historic of the NFL\u2019s franchises. Just the way the Steelers have always wanted it \u2014 an \u2018immaculate\u2019 anniversary, as the team had forecasted on Friday morning.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo Credit: Don Wright\/AP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s been an otherwise lost season for the Steelers; despite their last-second win on Christmas Eve, they are just 7-8 and FiveThirtyEight gives them a 2% chance to make the playoffs. Even if they win their last two games to finish 9-8, their chances rise to only 11%, and from there it would take an almost incomprehensible string of favorable results elsewhere to get Pittsburgh into the AFC\u2019s last wild card spot. For proof of concept: Two Miami Dolphins losses, two Tennessee Titans losses, a New York Jets loss in Seattle and a New England Patriots loss in Buffalo would be enough to push the Steelers in.<\/span><\/p>\n

Within all reasonable projections, the Steelers are not going to be a playoff team \u2014 and nor should they be. The offense has scored just 17.6 points per game, the third-lowest in the league, and are among the 10 worst in both total yards and passing yards per game. They\u2019ve produced 36 explosive plays through the air (completed passes for more than 20 yards), only three of which have gained more than 40 yards; both are bottom-five outputs.<\/span><\/p>\n

A Steelers\u2019 quarterback has eclipsed 300 passing yards in a single game only once \u2014 it was rookie first-round pick Kenny Pickett in Week 6 \u2014 in a 38-3 loss to the Buffalo Bills.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Pickett and failed former second overall pick Mitchell Trubisky have rotated in and out of the Steelers\u2019 starting role under center all season. Trubisky started the first four games before being quickly benched for Pickett in the fourth of those starts against the Jets, and has returned twice over the remaining 11 games in relief of the rookie as he suffered two separate mid-game concussions.<\/span><\/p>\n

It has been a season on offense ripe with the stereotypical dysfunction associated annually with the league\u2019s worst units. The quarterbacks have rode the carousel all season long, a talented and disgruntled receiver has been traded, the star running back has been brutally unproductive, and serious questions have continued to be asked of the play caller.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is with this added context that makes Pickens\u2019 game-winner on Saturday that much more satisfying. It was an excellently executed play to cap off a heroically executed drive. The timing of it all is spot on \u2014 Pickett perfectly threads the seam between a slot corner and the rotating middle field safety \u2014 and the necessary intricacies are not to be forgotten \u2014 the savvy nature of Pickens\u2019 route to find the window just big enough, the disguised eyes of Pickett to freeze the middle field safety just long enough.<\/span><\/p>\n

Perfect it was, and not just the historical poetry but the on-field execution as well, an exciting display of offensive competence between the Steelers\u2019 two highest-drafted rookies.<\/span><\/p>\n

And it\u2019s these moments, these flashes of impressive talent and sustainable execution from this young offensive core that are what truly matters. The production and the overall output has been unquestionably poor, yes, but these flashes of potential brilliance continue to shine through.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pickens\u2019 Christmas Eve winner is just the tip of the iceberg. The 52nd overall pick in this year\u2019s draft has contributed <\/span>plenty of those flashes himself<\/span><\/a> \u2014 an unbelievable one-handed grab against the Browns and a ridiculous display of hand strength down the sideline against the Colts are perhaps the most impressive \u2014 despite his overall output (47 receptions, 700 yards, 3 touchdowns) not being particularly noteworthy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

His moments are a clear glimpse into what can be an elite player. Pickens is<\/span> already<\/span><\/i> a dominant physical force on the outside \u2014 and as a blocker in the run game, it should not be forgotten \u2014 who can bully any opposing boundary corner at the catch point. The lone outlier in a pedestrian statistical season are his 14.9 yards per catch (ninth in the league), and it\u2019s reflective of the way that he\u2019s won all season. He\u2019s been a premier deep threat for the Steelers, he\u2019s a nightmare on \u201c50\/50 balls,\u201d where his size and strength are near impossible to contain, and that\u2019s if opposing corners can even stay in phase with him down the field. Per <\/span>PlayerProfiler<\/span><\/a>, Pickens is 15th in receiving yards per target, eighth in deep targets, and sixth in average target distance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Throw in the body control and the hands on display in that remarkable catch against the Browns, the 4.40 speed, and an attitude that embodies the \u201cgot that dog in him\u201d cliche better than just about any receiver in the league, and Pickens has all the tools needed to become a true first-choice \u2018X\u2019 receiver in any offense.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo Credit: Nick Cammett\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The first chapter of the book on Pickett, the 20th overall pick in April\u2019s draft, hasn\u2019t exactly foreshadowed an elite career. If Pickens\u2019 production has been only OK, Pickett\u2019s has been undeniably poor. He\u2019s 29th in passing yards (2,041), he\u2019s thrown almost twice as many interceptions (9) as touchdowns (5), and he ranks 24th in <\/span>ESPN\u2019s adjusted quarterback rating<\/span><\/a> (46.8). There are a myriad of reasons for his meager numbers, many out of his control, the <\/span>least <\/span><\/i>of which being that he\u2019s only started 10 games.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And Pickett, for what is in his control, is keeping his head well above water. If the deterioration of Zach Wilson is a reminder of just how poorly young quarterbacks can transition into the professional game, Pickett has certainly proved that he can survive in the NFL. There have been ugly reps, of course, but they are mostly part of the inevitable trials and tribulations of any rookie quarterback. For a player who relied heavily on athleticism at the collegiate level, Pickett always needed to figure out how that physical ability translated to the pros \u2014 and it\u2019s those ugly reps that show him where he fits on the food chain.<\/span><\/p>\n

His third quarter interception on Saturday against Las Vegas is a perfect example; Pickett progresses through his first read at the near side before attempting to throw into a tight window out of the corner of his eye with a funky arm angle. It goes about as well as you would expect.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pickett genuinely believes he can make this play \u2014 one that very few, if any, can make \u2014 because he\u2019s so used to winning with physical talent and creativity in college.<\/span><\/p>\n

The NFL is a different monster, a lesson that Pickett learns the hard way as Raiders\u2019 linebacker Denzel Perryman is gifted an interception. But this rep is still a valuable piece to Pickett\u2019s ongoing development because it teaches him what he can and cannot get away with. For a creative quarterback most comfortable out of structure, those lessons are critical.<\/span><\/p>\n

And make no mistake, Pickett <\/span>is <\/span><\/i>developing. He is noticeably better now than he was in his first throws on an NFL field back in Week 2, and for every frightening rep there\u2019s an impressive one, too. His game-winning snipe to Pickens is the most obvious example \u2014 a throw that requires confidence, arm strength, and perfect timing \u2014 but his work throughout that drive is just as promising.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pickett starts the drive by willing the Steelers across midfield with two excellent out-of-pocket completions to tight end Pat Freiermuth, a reminder that the ability to improvise that made him a first round pick can still translate, though in limited capacity, to the NFL. His next three throws are decisive checkdowns to Freiermuth and running back Najee Harris, themselves a reminder, perhaps, that Pickett is beginning to come to grips with his limitations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Seconds later, the strike to Pickens that will define a rocky yet fruitful rookie season. Game over.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo Credit: Rebecca Blackwell\/AP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If that play was the culmination of an otherwise mediocre season in Pittsburgh, the Steelers couldn\u2019t have asked for much more.<\/span><\/p>\n

It sealed the win against the hated Raiders in the shadow of the memory of the franchise icon at the center of this heated rivalry. In regards to the team\u2019s past, it was immaculate.<\/span><\/p>\n

In regards to the teams\u2019 future, it was pretty immaculate too, a brilliantly orchestrated play between the two heaviest bearers of the tradition of Pittsburgh Steelers football that the great Franco Harris started all those years ago.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pickens and Pickett haven\u2019t been perfect, and there\u2019s still a long way to go. But in what was always a transitional season, their game-winner last Saturday is evidence that they are right where the Steelers need them to be.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Sam Robb O\u2019Hagan There was something so satisfying about George Pickens\u2019 14-yard game winning touchdown catch against the Las Vegas Raiders last Saturday night. It was the aesthetic quality of it all \u2014 the gorgeous uniform matchup between the Raiders and the Pittsburgh Steelers, one of the NFL\u2019s most historic rivalries, under the floodlights […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21477,"featured_media":35760,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1024,1050,1035,19],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35754"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21477"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35754"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35754\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35761,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35754\/revisions\/35761"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35760"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35754"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35754"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35754"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}