When the Steelers march into Orchard Park, N.Y., for Sunday's showdown against Buffalo, they will do so as a double-digit underdog. That's a position Kenny Pickett has been in before, and one which he is embracing as he tries to rally his team's offense from its four poor weeks to start the season.
The rookie took to the stand for the first time as the Steelers' official QB1 on Wednesday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, and he took on a tone which has been preached about him dating to his time as the Pitt quarterback.
"I would say it's the attitude in which you go about it," Pickett said. "You guys, everyone else thinks we're underdogs. We don't. We're going to go in there with some confidence. We know how great we can be when we're detailed, when we execute at a high level. So that's something that we can take care of during the week or we won't have a shot on Sunday.
"It's the details, it's the little things. ... I've got to be on time, give a great ball. They'll make the plays, the line will protect -- they've done an unbelievable job all year -- so I have a ton of confidence in those guys. So, it's really everyone doing it, one through 11, and we'll be OK."
The Steelers are coming into this game against Buffalo as 14 point underdogs…
— Eddie Provident (@eddie_p_412) October 5, 2022
Kenny Pickett: “You guys think we’re underdogs, but we don’t”
Gotta love the confidence from the rookie. pic.twitter.com/8M7AJ3w63K
Those first steps were taken on Wednesday, when the Steelers took to the practice fields for the first time since Mike Tomlin announced Pickett as a starter in Buffalo on Tuesday. In the midst of game preparation are those details, which the Steelers longed for with Mitch Trubisky under center.
There were some plays, though few and far between, in which Trubisky produced, but the insertion of Pickett into the starting spot is sure to give the Steelers the spark they have desired on a more consistent basis.
However long that spark takes to fully ignite is truly to be determined, but the ceiling and potential stock of the Steelers' offense is surely higher than it ever could have been under Trubisky.
Facing the Bills is not under any circumstance a "get-right" opportunity, but a trial by fire can be an accelerant to show Pickett and the offense where those next steps of development need to go.
"I think Kenny's doing a good job talking to the receivers, trying to get on the same page," wide receiver Chase Claypool told me on Wednesday. "Obviously, he hasn't had as many reps with us as Mitch has, so just trying to get that feel."
Technically speaking, Pickett did not throw an incompletion in his NFL debut in the second half against the Jets. The box score reads 10-13 in completions, but those three misses account for interceptions. Two of those weren't necessarily his fault, and the third was one which served as a "welcome to the NFL" moment for the first-round draft pick as a costly play.
There's an element to having to develop some rapport with the rest of the skill positions, and while that will come to a more solid front over time, the feel from within the locker room is that Pickett is already off to a good start.
"Today was our first official practice of the week, so I think it was cool seeing him in there, being in there, showing us," running back Jaylen Warren told me. "We already knew what he could do, so it was cool seeing him keeping it upbeat and how confident he was being in the starting huddle. I thought that was very cool to see."
Pickett has been in a similar situation, in terms of coming in from the bullpen and then earning the starting nod the following week. In 2017, while playing quarterback at Pitt, Pickett subbed in for Ben DiNucci to begin the second quarter against Virginia Tech. Six days later, he started and led a sub-.500 Pitt team to a stunning upset over No. 2-ranked Miami, effectively knocking them out of the College Football Playoff hunt.
Pickett is not a stranger to the underdog position. He worked his way from being a three-star recruit to Pitt's all-time passing leader.
"With my three years with him, I saw the same guy every day come in, work, get better every day, so he definitely deserves it," Pitt receiver Jared Wayne said on Wednesday. "I can't wait to see what he does."
The expectations for the No. 1 quarterback taken in the 2022 draft are to bring that same fire and funk that he brought to Pitt for five seasons.
We have already heard from the Steelers' Diontae Johnson and Pat Freiermuth about how Pickett allowed the offense to become the "aggressors" against the Jets, and the bare minimum for right now is that he will continue to do just that.
"Doing my job at a high level, playing with energy, but at the same time I don't like to get too high or get too low," Pickett said. "I show some emotion out there. On Sunday I felt like we needed it so it was really, read the room, read the situation, and fit the kind of leadership style that needs to be fit. That's really what I'll take from it and I'll be myself on Sunday."
Pickett exudes confidence, as displayed through the viral play on which he took a shot from Jets defensive lineman Quinnen Williams, got up, and smiled and made a remark to him:
Kenny Pickett smiling after taking a huge hit #HereWeGo
— Luke Sawhook 🪚🪝 (@lukesawhook) October 2, 2022
pic.twitter.com/e3TgmuBJHI
"I like to have fun," Pickett said about the play. "They're all great players. I feel like we were talking all game. Sometimes it's like we're talking smack, but sometimes we're just having fun playing. He's a heck of a player. I like competing against the best, so I'm excited to go play against one of the best again."
It's something the Steelers are looking for, at the bare minimum, and it's something that's almost second-nature to Pickett by this point.
"Just a great dude," Pitt tight end Gavin Bartholomew said regarding Pickett. "Even before we went out onto the field and I actually played with him. He was just a great leader. When I first got here he knew my name already, and I'm like, 'Damn, he knew my name.' And then he's just a great leader on and off the field. ... He's better than anyone I've ever played with."
