Here We Go...The Steelers biggest question mark

Image via Chaz Palla/Tribune Review


By Lucas Kochevar

The Pittsburgh Steelers are in the playoffs, but they’re 9.5-point underdogs against the Bills. T.J. Watt is missing the game with an MCL sprain, but I don’t think he’s the reason for the big spread. The issues this Steelers team has faced come back to the most important position: the quarterback.

It’s been a bumpy season for the Steelers offense was historically bad. A November matchup against the Bengals told you everything you needed to know about the inefficiencies the team had under offensive coordinator Matt Canada. Pittsburgh finally relieved Canada of his duties. The Steelers won the game in Cincinnati 16-10, but the jarring stat involves their yards gained. The Steelers eclipsed over 400 yards for the first time in 58(!) games 

They did this and still only scored 16 points. It was a massive step forward, but the bar was in hell. The Steelers have a plethora of weapons. George Pickens, Diontae Johnson, Jaylin Warren and Najee Harris. They have invested in the offensive line through the draft and free agency. Both the skill positions and linemen have had their inconsistencies, but it leads back to the most important position in all of sports: the quarterback.

I was watching the week one game between the 49ers and Steelers (Be on the lookout for some 49ers-related content with Koch’s Corner). I started to wonder, is it time for the Steelers to give up on Kenny Pickett already?

Pickett suffered an ankle injury that has kept him out for a month now and, even though he’s healthy, they’re rolling with Mason Rudolph. Rudolph is the hot hand for the Steelers so it makes sense, but if Pickett is the guy, he should be starting. The writing is on the wall and I think it’s more than likely Pickett isn’t Pittsburgh’s quarterback next season. 

It would be a different story if Pickett was having a good season prior to his injury, but that really wasn’t the case. The 2022 first round pick completed 62% of his passes with 2,070 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions. The worrisome part of this is the fact it was through 12 games. In his last six full games, he only had one touchdown. 

Going back to that game I referenced earlier between the 49ers and Steelers, I noticed that Pickett’s accuracy was just abysmal on any passes past 20 yards. They needed to hit those passes to beat the 49ers and Pickett couldn’t deliver them. It was a one game sample size for my eyes, but it’s been a consistent criticism from many that follow the Steelers. The chemistry was off for every throw that Pickett made to push the ball downfield. 

Once again, I don’t know if this was a scheme issue or a Pickett issue. What I do know is that if the Steelers think Pickett is the guy and can hit the throws they need, he would be starting on Sunday against the Bills, not the third string quarterback. It’ll be an intriguing offseason for one of the most consistent franchises in league history. They appear to be a team that could be one of the quarterback-needy teams for 2024.

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