The Enigmatic Duality of Kenny Pickett
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett (8) throws to wide receiver George Pickens (14) for a completion against the Tennessee Titans during their game at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Penn., Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023.
The “duality of man” is a phrase that can refer to any part of human nature that has two contradictory parts. In essence, anyone is capable of two separate, yet opposing qualities.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett exemplifies the phenomenon of the “duality of man.” On the football field, Pickett is capable of doing great things, but also puzzling, frustrating and head-scratching things.
Statistically, Pickett is one of the worst quarterbacks in the league through the first three quarters of games, with a passer rating of 75.3. That ranks 27th out of 31 quarterbacks in the NFL with at least 100 passing attempts.
But his passer rating in the fourth quarter, 108.5, is the fourth-best in the league. That’s quite a swing.
“He’s awesome in the fourth quarter. He rises up in those moments,” Tomlin said Tuesday in Pickett’s defense during the team’s weekly press conference. “He wants to be the reason why we’re successful. He prepares his tail off. In some instances where people run from challenges, he runs to challenges. That’s why his performance is so good in the fourth quarter. Those other quarters we’ll work on.”
After leading the Steelers 92 yards on 11 plays last week against the Tennessee Titans and culminating the drive with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Diontae Johnson, Pickett now has six fourth-quarter comebacks and seven game-winning drives in his 21-game career.
That’s the second-most game-winning drives in the league since Pickett was drafted in 2022. It’s Tebow-esque some might say.
It’s something the talking heads on sports debate shows have aptly named, “the clutch gene.” Clearly, Pickett has it.
He may not put up eye-popping passing numbers and statistics, at least not yet, but he does do the one thing more important than that: win games.
Is it sustainable? Yes. At least Pickett seems to think so.
“Knowing how to win down the stretch, I think it is (an advantage),” Pickett said after the win against the Titans. “You look around the NFL, it’s a lot of one-possession games around the league when you look at the slate every weekend. The margin for error is so small at this level between winning and losing. The fact that we continue to find ways to win, I think, is a huge advantage to us. Like I said, no one panics down the stretch. We’re all confident in each other and we go out there and play hard, so it’s good to see.”
Since the Steelers’ BYE week in Week 9 last season, Pickett and the Steelers have played 17 games — a sample size of a complete NFL season.
Since that time, the Steelers are 12-5. That’s playoff caliber. Plain and simply, wins are wins.
Of those 17 games, 12 of them have been one-possession games. Of those 12 one-possession games, the Steelers have won 10 of them.
“I think we all have faith in each other. We have trust and we all care for one another,” Pickett said. “There’s one (on offense) that has any doubt when it comes down to those fourth quarters that we’re going to be able to put a drive together and go down there and score. Right now, we’re just searching for that consistency all game.”
The Steelers have found a winning recipe. The offense does just enough to hang around as the defense keeps them in games. Then in those late moments when things get tough, the nerves start fraying and the adrenaline starts pumping, the Steelers make the plays necessary to win football games.
It hasn’t just been Pickett and the offense, the defense has stepped up in those deciding moments, too. The Steelers have forced 16 total turnovers this year, with six of those coming in the fourth quarter. Also, only one team has given up fewer points in the fourth quarter this season than the Steelers.
“I just want to keep the focus on the other side of the ball, and I want (the defense) to work in silence,” Tomlin said. “That’s the job — to keep the score down, particularly late in games and in the significant moments, and to deliver the splash plays when needed. They’re the older unit, so that’s expected.”
If Pickett and the Steelers finally do start finding that same fourth-quarter consistency on offense during those first three quarters, look out.
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