The insertion of Kenny Pickett did much more than officially usher in a new era for the Steelers in 2022 and beyond.
The rookie quarterback's debut to begin the third quarter of Sunday's 24-20 loss to the Jets was a much-needed shot in the arm for an offense walking through mud.
With a 10-6 deficit and the offense failing to muster anything consistent or significant, Mike Tomlin made the call for No. 8, sending a mostly silent Acrisure Stadium into a frenzy for the guy they have been clamoring to see for four weeks.
Not only did the fans receive a jolt from Pickett's play, but so did the Steelers' offense.
"I don't think you ever want to be held back on offense," tight end Pat Freiermuth said Monday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. "I think you always want to continue to take shots and try to be the aggressor. And I think with Kenny in there, we were able to be the aggressor. Obviously some mistakes are going to happen, and some tipped balls and all that kind of stuff. But we have to continue to work past that and be there for Kenny, especially since he's a young guy."
Pittsburgh posted 121 yards of offense on 30 plays (4.03 yards per) and was able to convert on just 1 of 6 third downs with Mitch Trubisky playing in the first half. Trubisky passed for 84 yards and was sacked three times for a total loss of 26 yards for a rating of 41.8.
The Steelers scored 14 of its 20 points in the second half on a pair of Pickett touchdown runs -- each as electrifying and confidence-boosting as the other.
Everything changed. The Steelers caught a tailwind of swagger, moxie, fun, and funk all in one swoop and from one coaching decision. Pickett returned the favor by completing 10 of 13 passes for 120 yards and three interceptions, and was able to make plays with his feet in rushing for his two scores, two first downs and not getting sacked.
"You can see it," wide receiver Diontae Johnson said. "The energy from the crowd, they were calling his name and what not. That's nothing against Mitch or anything or whatever. Coach T, like he said, he thought it was going to give us a spark, and I feel like it did. He was able to get in the end zone twice, and we kind of pulled it off (offensively) at the end. I'm sure we're going to come up with a game plan this week and move on from it."
Tomlin did not name a starter for this week's game at Buffalo -- yet. That could come as early as Tuesday afternoon during his weekly press conference on the South Side.
"It don't matter," Johnson said of the starting QB. "As long as we go out there, we know our assignment, and the quarterback knows what he's doing. Everybody's doing their job as one. It's our job as receivers to go out there and make the quarterback look good, no matter if it's Kenny or Mitch.
"That's our job on the bottom line, for real. That's all we've got to continue to do, and show that we've just got to make more plays down the field or in general, so we can keep that spark and not have to have the defense on the field as much."
Pickett completed 2 of 4 passes of 20 or more yards, and his lone miss on nine attempts from within 20 yards clanked off of Freiermuth's hands and resulted in an interception on the Steelers' second to last drive of the game. Pickett also was incredibly effective on third down, leading the Steelers to conversions on 5 of 6 attempts.
There is also an obvious mobility factor Pickett brings, which extends plays and further helps receivers get open. That was one thing among many that Ben Roethlisberger offered for his near-two decades as Pittsburgh's quarterback, and it's a box which Pickett checks and Trubisky doesn't. Pickett was not sacked, and he was able to escape for 15 rushing yards on six attempts to go with his two scores.
Pickett averaged 9.2 yards per passing attempt on Sunday. That was a 61% increase in production from Trubisky's 5.6 YPA through three and a half games. The Steelers also gained a net of 9.23 yards per passing attempt with Pickett under center, compared to 4.89 in three-plus games with Trubisky.
"I think the plays were the same," Freiermuth said. "Obviously it's just (that) Kenny's going in there and just letting it fly, and I think we have to continue to build on that."
An aggressiveness quotient can also be factored in while considering Trubisky's style of play. He is well aware of what has been breathing down his neck throughout his time as a Steeler, and perhaps there were some times where Trubisky might admit he played timid or was afraid to lose the position, which he was destined to lose in the first place, and that effectively affected his decision making and his confidence level.
The same couldn't be said for Pickett, the upstart Pitt product who earned his first shot on Sunday.
"I think Kenny's expected to go in there and make plays, and I think he did that," Freiermuth said. "I think he goes in there, and he's very confident in himself, so I think that helps with being decisive and making the correct reads and pushing the ball down the field. I think Kenny's a hell of a player."
Having confidence and being decisive. Two desirable traits for any starting NFL quarterback. After all, it was never a matter of if Pickett would usurp Trubisky as the Steelers' quarterback; it was always a matter of when.
"He's showed that he's comfortable out there," Johnson said. "He knows what he's doing. He's going to throw interceptions and what not. That's football. It's how you respond, and he responded in a great manner by still able to get into the endzone. That's the spark we needed. We were able to have a lead for a little moment, but we just got to finish. It doesn't matter who's in there, we just got to finish in general."
