Kenny Pickett took the field at Acisure Stadium to a standing ovation from Pittsburgh Steelers fans, who were hoping he was the quarterback of the future.
He left the field with those same fans believing he was.
Pickett shined in his debut, hitting on 13 of 15 passes for 95 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He started the game hitting on his first five throws, including a short touchdown, and ended it by throwing the game-winning touchdown in the closing seconds.
Quite a debut.
But what stood out about his performance? Some of what we expected from him going into his rookie season: How Pickett won from the pocket with his mind.
On that opening drive, where he hit on his first five passes of the game, Pickett took advantage of some concepts that gave him defined reads and throws. But this play, a wheel route to running back Jaylen Warren, stands out:
Pickett knows he is going to throw this wheel route before the ball is snapped, and the reasons why begin on the other side of the field. The Steelers have two receivers on that side, but the presence of three defenders is one of his first pre-snap indicators on the play. With the safety walked right behind the slot cornerback, “capping” him, Pickett can anticipate some kind of pressure is coming from the edge.
If that slot corner blitzes, then the safety capping him will likely be responsible for the inside receiver in man coverage, given his alignment. Now when Pickett brings his eyes to the other side of the field and he sees the opposite safety walked down in the box, either he is going to rotate to the middle of the field as the post-safety, or he’ll stay down in the box over the tight end in man coverage, which could mean Cover 0. If he rotates deep, then the two linebackers will now be responsible for the running backs in man coverage.
So Pickett can expect man, and he can expect some kind of pressure.
Right after the snap, that is confirmed when the slot corner blitzes, the safety to that side picks up the inside receiver in man coverage, and the safety retreats deep. That means Warren is matched up against a linebacker, which leads to the quick decision from the quarterback, and the near-touchdown.
A similar process — albeit with a different conclusion — played out on this completion early in the fourth quarter:
This time, the pre-snap indicators all scream zone coverage, and Pickett confirms that right after the snap, putting him in position to deliver this out route on-time and in-rhythm. First you have the “in-and-out” motion from the tight end, who starts towards the football, and then reverses back to his original position. The Seahawks defenders do not respond to the motion, and while pre-snap movement is not a surefire determination of man or zone, when you combine that with the other indicators pre-snap, Pickett is pretty confident he is facing zone coverage. The cornerbacks are off and have their feet staggered and hips opened to the middle of the field. More zone indicators.
The only question is whether this is single-high or two-high. With a deep post route coming from the left side of the field, Pickett might look to that route against two-high. But at the snap, the safety to his right drops down in the box, as the Seahawks spin to single-high. Seeing that, he knows the cornerbacks on the outside will not have help over the top, so he knows the out route on the right side is a good choice. He hits the final step in his drop and lets the ball fly, managing to navigate the safety who is now lurking underneath his target, as well as the boundary.
Some of these elements were present on the game-winning throw. Again the cornerbacks are playing deep, and with one of the safeties walked down in the box pre-snap, Pickett is expecting single-high and again, a cornerback without deep help. That enables him to hit the final step of his drop and, from a collapsing pocket, make this throw:
Tyler Vaughns makes the catch and makes the defender miss, en route to the game-winning touchdown. Pickett’s timing on this play — coupled with the receiver doing a good job of working back to the football and attacking it if flight — gives Vaughns a chance at that yardage after the catch, and the game-winning score.
Pickett was not the only quarterback to have a good night for the Steelers. Mitchell Trubisky got the start, and finished 4 of 7 for 63 yards with a touchdown. Mason Rudolph closed out the first half, going 9 of 15 for 93 yards and a score.
Ultimately, this game might tell us more about the woes in Seattle, than the quarterback battle in Pittsburgh.
But that battle for the job in Pittsburgh is at the front of many minds. After the game, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin was happy with his three quarterbacks after one preseason game.” They moved their units,” Tomlin said. “They did the informal things associated with the position from a leadership and communication standpoint. It was a good first time out for all three.”
But for Pickett, the love from the Steelers faithful was noticeable, and he appreciated their support. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t,” Pickett said. “It was an incredible feeling. It was really cool. It was special.”
More nights like this one — and more plays with this kind of awareness — and the young quarterback can expect even more support from Steelers Nation.