After three-and-a-half games, one thing was clear for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Mitchell Trubisky was not the answer at quarterback.
Fortunately, head coach Mike Tomlin has a plan B. Following 14 uninspiring quarters with Trubisky at the helm, the Steelers turned to rookie Kenny Pickett in hopes of sparking a comeback against the New York Jets. It was a move that soothed Pittsburgh fans overwhelmed by mediocrity throughout the month of September — even if Pickett wasn’t asked to move mountains in his debut.
Things were so loud at not-Heinz Stadium that the Steeler sideline had to calm fans down in order to ensure Pickett had a quiet enough backdrop to relay plays to his offense.
Steelers linemen were waving the crowd to quiet down when Kenny Pickett took the field. That’s how loud the ovation was. pic.twitter.com/5SpPeJlfzy
— Colin Dunlap (@colin_dunlap) October 2, 2022
Tomlin started his first-year passer with a conservative offense that ran the ball on each of his first five plays — including a fourth down QB sneak from the Steelers’ 31-yard line. Then he took the governor off Pickett’s engine and tested him with a throw downfield.
It wasn’t great!
One @Pitt_FB alum welcomes another to the league 🙂@jwhite_333 | #NYJvsPIT on CBS pic.twitter.com/Ke47sJLP8r
— New York Jets (@nyjets) October 2, 2022
Pickett’s first NFL pass was intercepted on a slightly underthrown ball Chase Claypool had a decent shot at, but instead fell into the hands of safety Jordan Whitehead. That tempered expectations briefly, but Pittsburgh fans remained optimistic their quarterback was no longer Trubisky.
They only had to wait three plays after a Minkah Fitzpatrick interception for their young QB to redeem himself. Kinda.
Kenny Pickett sneaks in for the TD! @Steelers lead 13-10.
📺: #NYJvsPIT on CBS
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/95ssqnYCaC pic.twitter.com/a5lLIUXPUh— NFL (@NFL) October 2, 2022
Some fans and analysts were genuinely excited to see what Pickett could do
ITS KENNY PICKETT TIME 🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨
— Christopher Carter (@CarterCritiques) October 2, 2022
THIS IS NOT A DRILL. KENNY PICKETT TIME. pic.twitter.com/rg7daLArTO
— The Loyal Sons (@TheLoyalSons) October 2, 2022
kenny pickett was the best passer in his draft class looking at last year’s advanced statistics
let’s see if that continues in the NFL! pic.twitter.com/wCxHhgxpPz
— Tej Seth (@tejfbanalytics) October 2, 2022
KENNY PICKETT IS STARTING LETS GO pic.twitter.com/Ax02qe1cUr
— Adam Steel (@RenegadeAdam) October 2, 2022
BAH GAWD ITS KENNY PICKETT
— Football (@BostonConnr) October 2, 2022
🤩 LLEGÓ EL MOMENTO MÁS ESPERADO…
¡Kenny Pickett en el campo! 🔥#NFLxFOX pic.twitter.com/TIUkhwaavn
— FOX Impacto NFL (@FOXImpactoNFL) October 2, 2022
Others were willing to lean into the hype because, well, it's not like replacing Mitch Trubisky requires much more than a warm body
That handoff from Kenny Pickett was one of the smoothest handoffs I've ever seen. Guy just looks different. Incredible leadership
— Alex Kirshner (@alex_kirshner) October 2, 2022
Kenny Pickett is the greatest QB sneaker in NFL history. 100% for first downs.
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) October 2, 2022
Kenny Pickett looks just like Big Ben* out there
* = 2021 model
— lukezim (@lukezim) October 2, 2022
