{"id":85490,"date":"2022-10-03T09:52:06","date_gmt":"2022-10-03T09:52:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/airing-of-grievances-defensive-demise-ill-timed-interceptions-undermine-kenny-picketts-steelers-debut-in-loss-to-jets\/"},"modified":"2022-10-03T09:52:06","modified_gmt":"2022-10-03T09:52:06","slug":"airing-of-grievances-defensive-demise-ill-timed-interceptions-undermine-kenny-picketts-steelers-debut-in-loss-to-jets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/airing-of-grievances-defensive-demise-ill-timed-interceptions-undermine-kenny-picketts-steelers-debut-in-loss-to-jets\/","title":{"rendered":"Airing of Grievances: Defensive demise, ill-timed interceptions undermine Kenny Pickett’s Steelers debut in loss to Jets"},"content":{"rendered":"
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There was plenty of bluster, hoopla and emotional peaks during the debut game for Pittsburgh Steelers rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett on Sunday at Acrisure Stadium. <\/p>\n

In the end, however, all it amounted to was a home loss to the stinkin’ New York Jets \u2014 for just the second time in franchise history.<\/p>\n

For all the lead up, wonderment and speculation, Pickett got into a game and the Steelers lost it. <\/p>\n

He was part of a comeback. Then he was part of the collapse. <\/p>\n

Now coach Mike Tomlin’s team is 1-3 with games coming up against the Bills, Buccaneers, Dolphins and Eagles, four teams with a combined record of 12-3. If we are being honest about the Steelers \u2014 and we should all try that sometime \u2014 they are an injury to the Cincinnati Bengals long snapper away from being 0-4. <\/p>\n

And if nothing else is clear coming out of Sunday’s 24-20 defeat, one thing absolutely should be. There is a lot wrong with this team that a quarterback change can’t fix.<\/p>\n

We’ll dive into all those issues in this week’s \u201cAiring of Grievances.\u201d<\/p>\n

Defensive demise<\/strong>: Pickett was inserted into the game to start the third quarter with Pittsburgh trailing 10-6. The defense did an excellent job early in the third, forcing a three-and-out and getting an interception on the first two series. Even New York’s third drive of the second half resulted in another punt after six snaps.<\/p>\n

In between, Pickett ran for two touchdowns to give the Steelers a 20-10 lead. <\/p>\n

All that evaporated in the fourth quarter, though, as the defense allowed back-to-back touchdown drives. The first one lasted 11 plays. The second one lasted 10 plays. They totaled 9 minutes, 23 seconds of possession time.<\/p>\n

On the first drive, Zach Wilson converted a third down that netted 25 yards when he needed 6. He got 22 yards on a fourth-and-7 pass to Corey Davis. Then he converted a touchdown pass to Davis on a third-and-goal.<\/p>\n

On the second scoring drive in the fourth, Wilson only needed one third-down conversion (to Tyler Conklin) because New York was so efficient in gobbling up yards on first and second downs before capping the drive with a touchdown plunge by Breece Hall for the winning score with 16 seconds remaining.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes they would go to different fronts to buy extra time in max-pro(tection) look, and we didn’t clean that up as a front. We didn’t get home enough. And when we did get home, we didn’t clean it up on the back end. It’s a cycle where we have to work together,\u201d defensive captain Cameron Heyward said after the loss.<\/p>\n

The Steelers got a fair amount of pressure on Wilson and flushed him on numerous occasions, especially in the first half. But he often escaped, and the Steelers only managed one sack on the day. <\/p>\n

In all four games this season, the defense has allowed costly, painstaking drives from the opposition that were influential to the result. The Steelers are now 0 for 7 when star linebacker TJ Watt doesn’t dress.<\/p>\n

Pickett’s growing pains<\/strong>: For as much energy and effectiveness that Pickett injected into the offense, his first game ended with three interceptions in 30 minutes of football. <\/p>\n

Fellow Pitt alum Jordan Whitehead intercepted Pickett’s first NFL pass on a deep jump ball to Chase Claypool.<\/p>\n

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What’s that @Pitt_FB<\/a> alum welcomes another to the league @jwhite_333<\/a> | #NYJvsPIT<\/a> ten GIS pic.twitter.com\/Ke47sJLP8r<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 New York Jets (@nyjets) October 2, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cI told those guys if they’re one-on-one, I’m going to give them a chance,\u201d Pickett said after the loss. \u201cChase on the safety, I’m going to take that and give him a chance. Sometimes the ball doesn’t bounce your way. That time it didn’t. I get that. But he said he’s going to go get it. I told him I’m going to throw him more passes. I’m not gun-shy to throw down the field to him at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pickett’s second interception came on a second down in the fourth quarter, after he botched a pitch to Jaylen Warren on a first-down snap. Pickett tried to avoid a sack and seemed to be caught halfway between trying to throw the ball away and trying to hit Pat Freiermuth along the Steelers sideline.<\/p>\n

The high pass went off of Freiermuth’s outstretched hands and into the diving arms of New York’s Michael Carter.<\/p>\n

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HUGE PLAY @mcarter2nd<\/a> x @iamSauceGardner<\/a>#NYJvsPIT<\/a> ten GIS pic.twitter.com\/uv44syNbRb<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 New York Jets (@nyjets) October 2, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cI wanted it higher than that, definitely. Either Pat was going to get it or it was going to be out of bounds. I didn’t put it high enough. I cannot throw an interception there in that point of the game,\u201d Pickett said. \u201cWe were moving the ball well. We want to be aggressive, but at the same time, the clock was our friend there and I wanted to possess the ball and not do that and give them good field position. So, I can’t make that mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pickett’s third interception was a Hail Mary into the end zone at the end of the game. <\/p>\n

\u201cI thought he did some good things. I thought there was some energy there. We scored some touchdowns. But obviously we also turned the ball over,\u201d Tomlin said. <\/p>\n

Fleeting fingers<\/strong>: Three of the four interceptions thrown by Steelers quarterbacks went off the hands of Steelers receivers. <\/p>\n

We mentioned the two thrown by Pickett intended for Claypool and Freiermuth. Starting QB Mitch Trubisky had a throw that went off the hands of Diontae Johnson as well. It was intercepted by Lamarcus Joyner.<\/p>\n

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Good scoop, good scoop.#NYJvsPIT<\/a> ten GIS pic.twitter.com\/N5tJUbWSk4<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 New York Jets (@nyjets) October 2, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Johnson said the ball was tipped by a Jets defender on the way to him. The other two interceptions that went off the hands of intended Steelers receivers would’ve been difficult catches, too.<\/p>\n

But for a pass-catching corps that got a lot of positive press in the preseason, maybe it is plays like those three that are separating them from being truly elite on the field, versus just highly respected on paper.<\/p>\n

moving backwards<\/strong>: After some steps forward by the Steelers offensive line the last two weeks, there was regression on Sunday. <\/p>\n

Trubisky was sacked three times in the first half. The team only managed 3.2 yards per rush in the second half with 15 of those yards from Pickett on sneaks or quarterback runs. Overall, the offense averaged a modest 3.8 yards per carry.<\/p>\n

Then there were the penalties. The Steelers were flagged eight times. Five went against offensive linemen.<\/p>\n

By the book<\/strong>: The officiating wasn’t terrible. But it wasn’t great either. <\/p>\n

It was inconsistent. Some blatant holds by the Jets offensive line went uncalled. I thought Johnson scored on a sparkling touchdown catch in the first half. But it was ruled that the front of his cleat touched the white line in the back of the end zone. <\/p>\n

Apparently, there wasn’t enough evidence to overturn that call, but there was on Hall’s disputed touchdown near the end the game when he was initially ruled down short of the end zone. Plus, a shaky diving catch by the Jets earlier in the drive wasn’t reviewed at all.<\/p>\n

Not great. But so be it. Those calls and reviews were all close. <\/p>\n

Frankly, it was more of a bad day for the rulebook than for the zebras themselves. Wilson abused the intentional grounding rule all day, throwing balls out of the pocket to no one in particular. It was proof of how the interpretation of that rule has gotten way too liberal in favor of quarterbacks.<\/p>\n

Then there was the play at the end of the first half when both the Jets and Steelers had injured players at the same time with under two minutes left. So they were both charged with a timeout.<\/p>\n

Why? If neither team is gaining an advantage with a clock stopped because of simultaneous injuries, why penalize both clubs by losing a timeout if neither club is benefiting more than the other by the stoppage?<\/p>\n

Furthermore, there was a penalty on the play, and it was an incomplete pass originally anyway.<\/p>\n

That’s a stupid rule, and it needs to be reworked.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via twitter<\/a>. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise.<\/p>\n