Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett isn’t good enough for all four quarterbacks. But he was good in the clutch. The Cincinnati Bengals appreciate that.
At the end of a tough game, Pickett finally came alive to drive the Steelers to their first touchdown of the night. Pickett masterfully escaped a pass rush, kept his balance, and hit Najee Harris for a 10-yard touchdown with 56 seconds left.
The Steelers won 16-13 and kept their playoff hopes alive in the final week of the regular season.
Pickett still has a long way to go in his development, but drives like that on the road against the Ravens and last week’s game winner against the Las Vegas Raiders say a lot about his confidence. Being able to put those drives together is a valuable trait in a quarterback, and Pickett shows he has it.
Had the Ravens won, it would ensure next week’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals for the AFC North title. It still could be, but the Bengals can win the division with a Monday night win over the Buffalo Bills.
The Steelers are kind of 8-8 in a supposedly bad season. And they’re seeing some positive moments from their rookie quarterback.
Steelers-Ravens play a different physical game
The Steelers and Ravens have been playing the same game for what seems like 20 years. Points are hard to come by. It will be crisp. The beating seems to have ramped up. It doesn’t matter if the game is in Pittsburgh or Baltimore. It’s the NFL version of Edge of Tomorrow.
Sunday night’s game started like any other involving Joe Flacco and Ben Roethlisberger years ago. There was hard hitting and few goals. When Steelers defenseman Cameron Heyward got a little too hot after a third and 16th game, it cost the Steelers big bucks. Heyward shoved a Ravens lineman while he was on the stack and received a 15-yard penalty for doing so. It was a questionable call. Instead of betting on a field goal, the Ravens got a gift first. They converted that into a touchdown, the first of the game, against rookie tight end Isaiah Likely with a 7-yard catch just before halftime.
The story goes on
In a game that was low scoring and close, those four extra points the Ravens got from Heyward’s penalty were big. That’s what the Steelers had to chase for most of the game.
Even after halftime the game was a grind. There were no touchdowns in the third quarter. The Ravens extended their lead to 13-3 with a field goal from Justin Tucker, but the Steelers came back with a field goal of their own.
The Ravens led 13-6 early in the fourth quarter, and it seemed like either attack could claim the win with just a touchdown drive.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett struggled against the Ravens for most of the game, but mustered the big drive the team needed. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
The game stays tight until the 4th quarter
The Steelers put up a good drive in the fourth quarter, mostly on punishing runs, but it stalled and they settled for another field goal. The Ravens defense did a great job keeping the Steelers out of the end zone. By this point, four of their five possessions, not counting a knee at the end of the half, came into Ravens territory, but all resulted in field goal attempts. One was a mistake by Chris Boswell.
The Ravens defense did everything they could, but the offense couldn’t stop the game. A great return to Pittsburgh’s 40-yard line after the Steelers cut Baltimore’s lead to 13-9 was wasted when the offense went three and out and punted. The Ravens miss the injured Lamar Jackson. Tyler Huntley didn’t play well in his place.
It was clear for most of the fourth quarter that the Ravens’ defense probably needed to get 13 points off offense. Then the Steelers drove off. A couple of nice throws from Pickett put the Steelers deep in Ravens territory. A quarterback sneak on third down grabbed a first down at the 12-yard line with just over a minute left. Then Pickett made a fantastic play to hit Harris for a touchdown and the lead.
The Ravens had a shot to get within field goal range for Tucker, but nothing came on offense. Huntley threw a game-winning interception with 13 seconds remaining.
The Steelers were not universally praised for their first-round pick of Pickett. There were questions about his head. He’s far from a finished product, but the Steelers already know that no moment is too big for him.