BALTIMORE (93.7 The Fan) – Second straight week, second straight result. Rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett took the ball down the field and won an elimination game. The first rookie in NFL history to lead a pair of back-to-back, fourth-quarter comebacks with less than a minute to play. This one was different though.
“It’s similar, but definitely tougher on the road,” Pickett said Sunday. “Communication and you are a step behind in that because of the noise and not being able to hear each other. We had great prep all week, coaches put us in the situation a lot with the crowd noise in practice. All of those extra reps-in-game and in practice really came through for us there.”
It was a second straight, fourth quarter three-and-out that set it up the Steelers for the final drive. The offense got the ball with 4:16 to play and just methodically moved the ball down the field.
A Najee Harris seven-yard run, Pickett converting a quarterback sneak on a third-and-one. Pickett scrambled and hit Pat Freiermuth at midfield for 20 yards. Then what Pickett said was the big play of the series, a 28-yarder to Steven Sims.
“Steve (Sims) really did a huge job bending in there on that seam (route),” Pickett said. “Biggest play of the drive besides the touchdown. You never know when your number is going to be called and Stevie stepped up huge for us.”
Then a shovel pass to Sims cutting in front of Pickett. A five-yard Harris run, another Pickett sneak. An incompletion, a Harris two-yard run and then the 10-yard touchdown to Najee Harris.
“Extended the play a little bit, wanted to keep my eyes downfield and one of our guys a shot,” Pickett said. “We had a really similar play like that earlier to Najee like that down the left side. We didn’t hit it, but real happy we got it when it counted.”
“It was a motion out and turned into a scramble rule,” Harris said. “It’s what we practice, Kenny threw a good ball and I was able to score.”
“I can’t say enough about our young qube (quarterback),” said Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin. “He smiles in the face of it (adversity). He’s always ready to be that guy in the moments that we need him to be that guy. It’s good to see in a young guy.”
“It’s the same every time,” Pickett said. “Everyone has to do their job. I have to find a way to get guys the ball and get in the end zone.”
“We took one play at a time,” said receiver Diontae Johnson. “We didn’t try to do too much. We were able to come out with a win.”
“That’s my quarterback.”
“How about Kenny P driving it down,” said Steelers TJ Watt. “We are very confident in our quarterback.”
“I think confidence I always had in myself is showing up on the field,” Pickett said. “I think guys are starting to feel that, which is good. Going into a huddle and seeing how confident everyone is, as a quarterback they have a lot of belief in you and I have a lot of belief in that huddle.”