PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – All three threw touchdown passes, probably not surprising Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin liked what he saw from all of his quarterbacks during Saturday's win against Seattle.
"They moved their units," Tomlin said. "They did the informal things associated with their position from a leadership and communication standpoint. They were engaged. It was a good first time out for all three. Obviously, we'll comb through it tomorrow and evaluate it in that way."
Specifically, when asked about Kenny Pickett. The rookie essentially threw the game-ending touchdown pass and was 13 of 15 with a pair of touchdowns and no turnovers.
"He moved his group," Tomlin said. "He played situational football. He displayed a competitive spirit. A lot of good things to build on from a first performance standpoint."
"It was an incredible feeling," Pickett said of his first night in black and gold in Acrisure Stadium. "I had a lot of family members here. My grandfather was able to come out. It was special. It was really cool."
Trubisky said it was awesome, he found himself just waiting all day for the opportunity. Trubisky drove the team 90 yards in the first drive and was 4 of 7 for 63 yards including a 13-yard touchdown to Gunner Olszewski.
"I was just amped up, ready to go, and wanted to lead the team right down the field and score right away, and it was a good way to start the game and set the tone," Trubisky said. "We finished strong as a group, so it was a fun game to be a part of, it was awesome."
Rudolph was the second quarterback in. He finished 9 of 15 for 93 yards with a touchdown and nearly his first interception of training camp.
"I thought we played well," Rudolph said. "I thought there was one throw I would like to have back. For the most part, I was happy with the way we moved the ball on the field."
Tough love
Having one of the strongest camps on the team and scoring a touchdown, Tomlin had some tough love for undrafted rookie tailback Jaylen Warren.
"I didn't like Jaylen putting the ball on the ground," Tomlin said. "I appreciate his tackle breaking and contact balance, but that standard of expectation is non-negotiable. He's got to get better there. These are good days provided we take care of the ball. We didn't do that. Thankfully we got it back. We got to get better."
Warren finished with six carries for 34 yards and caught a team-high four passes for 30 yards. Anthony McFarland led the team in rushing with seven carries for 56 yards.
Offensive line
It was the first time in a game setting that the offensive line of Dan Moore (left tackle), Kendrick Green (left guard), Mason Cole (center), James Daniels (right guard) and Chukwuma Okorafor (right tackle). Tomlin with a fairly blunt response to their quarter-plus performance.
"We got to keep them cleaner," Tomlin said of the quarterbacks. "We are capable of that."
He said Seattle brought some blitzes that tested the line and it was good for them to experience that. Tomlin did bring up a bright spot of a couple of breakdowns.
"We made some plays particularly at that position with our legs," Tomlin said. "I'm appreciative of that also. Some of those things were revealed because of it."
Downplaying the rookie
George Pickens with great footwork on his 26-yard touchdown reception from Rudolph and another sideline grab later in the game. He also caught the first pass of the game. The rookie has been the darling of Latrobe and Tomlin wanted to keep him grounded.
"I've got to looked at the tape to analyze, but from a play making perspective his performance was consistent with what we've seen in practice settings," Tomlin said emotion-less.
Injuries
It's preseason so there is no injury report, Tomlin is not forced to give injury information. He did say there were no significant in-game issues other than safety Karl Joseph leaving with an ankle. He confirmed receiver Calvin Austin did not dress because of an injury sustained in practice on Friday. Receiver Anthony Miller is another new injury happening late on Thursday.
Also not playing due to injury on Saturday-G Kevin Dotson, FB Derek Watt, LB Alex Highsmith, WR Anthony Miller, LB Marcus Allen, DL Montravious Adams, RB Benny Snell, TE Pat Freiermuth, RB Najee Harris, DL Tyson Alualu, WR Chase Claypool, DL Larry Ogunjobi.
