The Kenny Pickett era appears to have begun mid-week 4.
Pittsburgh’s rookie quarterback came on for Mitchell Trubisky with the first offensive possession of the second half against the New York Jets.
Trubisky’s bench press comes after a listless first half from a Steelers offense that mustered just eight first downs in seven possessions and failed to reach the red zone. After two quarters of the game, the Trubisky-led offense gained just 147 total offensive yards and six points, three of which were helped by a Jets penalty that led to a 59-yard field goal by Chris Boswell in the dying seconds of the second Quarter.
Trubisky completed 7 of 13 passes for 84 yards and one interception at the time of his bench press.
Pickett’s first NFL possession didn’t go smoothly, but the rookie QB got the ball quickly in a crucial situation.
Faced with a fourth and 1 at his own 31, Pickett’s number was called with a successful QB sneak. Two games later, Pickett looked for Chase Claypool in downfield, but it was Jets safety Jordan Whitehead who interrupted Pickett’s first career pass with an interception.
The Steelers quickly got the ball back after Minkah Fitzpatrick caught a tipped pass for an INT, and Pickett’s number was called out again at the goal line for the team’s first touchdown of the day with a QB sneak.
Pickett’s first career TD gave the Steelers a 13-10 lead over the Jets.