Kenny Pickett has shown over the past two weeks that he is capable of making huge plays in pressure situations, and Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin had a great reaction to the latest one.
Pickett gave the Steelers a lead over the Baltimore Ravens with 56 seconds left on Sunday night when he threw a perfect strike on the run to Najee Harris. The rookie had to escape pressure and still managed to place the ball perfectly while running to his left.
Kenny Pickett and Najee Harris give the @Steelers the lead!
: #PITvsBAL on NBC
: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/K8OMv0nWCp pic.twitter.com/smsZzJUd2X— NFL (@NFL) January 2, 2023
The touchdown wound up being the game-winner, as Pittsburgh defeated the Ravens 16-13. As Pickett came off the field after his clutch throw, Tomlin looked at him and appeared to say “Kenny f—ing Pickett.”
Tomlin knows! Kenny F—king Pickett pic.twitter.com/9mNZhgMaJO
— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) January 2, 2023
Pickett also led a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders last week. Take a look at his combined numbers from those two drives:
Kenny Pickett on late 4th quarter TD drives over last 2 games vs. Ravens & Raiders:
12/15
139 passing yards
2 TDs
144.9 passer rating
2 game-winning drivesPickett’s poise is unreal. #Steelers
— Daniel Valente (@StatsGuyDaniel) January 2, 2023
Tomlin and Steelers fans have every right to be excited. Pickett has experienced plenty of growing pains, and his stats (2,209 yards, 6 touchdowns, 9 interceptions) do not look great. However, he has managed to keep Pittsburgh in the postseason hunt and played his best football with the game on the line.
There were some troubling reports about Pickett’s development earlier in the season, but the Steelers have to love what they have seen down the stretch.
