Kenny Pickett is now the starting quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers. How Pickett performs is the biggest story in the Steel City from this point forward. For the rest of the season I’ll be grading Pickett’s performances for each game. Reminder – these posts are just grading the individual game each week. This is not a season-long grade or an indication if Pickett is “The Guy”. Welcome to – Kenny Pickett: Game Grade.
November 13th – New Orleans Saints
Kenny Pickett was 18/30 for 199 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions on Sunday. He also ran the ball eight times for 51 yards and a touchdown. Pickett had no turnovers in this one, but was sacked six times for the second week in a row. In his four full games this was Pickett’s lowest completion percentage and number of pass attempts. It was also his only full game without a turnover.
Let’s dive into a few categories and determine Kenny Pickett’s grade for Week 10.
Decision Making
Pickett’s decision making in this one might’ve been his best of the season. The easy check of this is the “0” in the interception column of the stat sheet. But decision making isn’t all about interceptions. Pickett had his first game with zero turnover-worthy plays per Sam Monson of PFF. While there were a few contested catch opportunities that were 50/50, it was still his best outing in that department.
We also saw a number of plays where Pickett threw the ball away on early downs. Any of these instances in previous weeks might have been sacks or interceptions.
Aside from turnovers the decision to make some throws over others has also been a talking point this season. More and more each week we’ve seen the offense offer options in the middle of the field. This week, Pickett starting taking those opportunities. Whether they were slants or sit routes we saw an increased comfortability in making those kinds of throws. There were still chances missed, especially deep or in the red-zone, but it was an improvement nonetheless.
Accuracy
It was not a great day for Pickett in terms of accuracy. We started off on a bad note on the first play of the game where Pickett threw behind Wide Receiver George Pickens on a crossing route that could have been a big gain. There were also two back shoulder throws to Tight End Pat Freiermuth that did not have the right touch or placement on them. Another pass to Freiermuth was behind on an out route on the first drive of the game. And finally there were two deep shots to Wide Receiver Diontae Johnson on the outside that were very off the mark (don’t worry – the big completion is coming next).
Arm Strength
Pickett’s arm was strong in this game. The work over the middle of the field has plenty of zip to be on time and make it passed defenders. Pickett also had one of his longer throws of the season to Johnson for 36 yards in the third quarter.
Pocket Presence
The pocket presence in this one from Pickett was as bad as it’s been. Of the six sacks taken, I have three of them going against the quarterback.
The first sack came from the nickel corner Chris Harris who Pickett saw after faking the handoff. Harris had jumped in the air on his way to the QB hoping to disrupt a pass. Instead of sliding toward Harris who was in the air, Pickett tried to find a place to throw the ball with the pocket collapsing.
Sacks two and three I have on Pickett were sacks three and five on the day. Both were instances that Pickett was scattered and began to scramble around the pocket. Rather than scramble out of the pocket, or climb within it and scramble away, Pickett put his eyes down and began to just try and dodge anyone (teammate or opponent) in his path.
We got the full gambit of Pickett in the pocket on Sunday. We saw some excellent plays to avoid pressure and throw the ball away, to scramble for positive yardage, and also to work his way into a sack.
Production
The production was OK in this one. Just a 60% completion percentage on 30 attempts and 199 yards isn’t bad but it isn’t good either. Pittsburgh was 9/17 on third down for the day but just 4/11 on passing plays (with one being a scramble by Pickett). The team had 20 points on the day which ties their season high but is Pickett’s season high in full games. But there was still meat on the bone. Obviously two missed field goals is one thing that would help,
One of Pickett’s sacks came in the red zone and led to a field goal, and another killed a drive that was in New Orleans territory and led to a missed field goal. 27-30 points was definitely doable for this team on Sunday.
Final Grade – C
This is the second best grade I’ve given Kenny Pickett, but there’s still things that need to be worked on. Here are the positives: no turnovers, “high” amount of points scored, long drives, good throws and decisions. The negatives: poor pocket presence, subpar accuracy, and just moderate production.
With the return of Edge Rusher T.J. Watt and the sudden emergence of a running game, a “C” is very capable of getting wins for Pittsburgh this season. Taking care of the ball, while still being able to move down the field, was probably the biggest benchmark for Pickett coming out of the bye week, and he did accomplish that. But too many sacks taken and inconsistent accuracy keeps the overall grade down.
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