Just after legendary quarterback Ben Roethlisberger retired following the 2021 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers took Pittsburgh Panthers signal-caller Kenny Pickett in the first round of the draft, hoping there would be a seamless transition.
Some fans thought that perhaps Pickett would become the next “Big Ben,” but thus far, he has been a disappointment.
Although the Steelers won their Week 2 matchup on Monday Night Football versus the rival Cleveland Browns, Pickett played poorly, completed only half of his passes and managing a passer rating of just 71.8, after posting a 68.4 passer rating in Week 1.
Analyst Craig Carton had a simple explanation for his struggles — he called Pickett a “bad quarterback.”
"Kenny Pickett's a bad quarterback."
— @craigcartonlive pic.twitter.com/eplFBITkvf
— The Carton Show (@TheCartonShow) September 20, 2023
As a rookie, he had a 63.0 percent completion rate and threw for 2,404 yards and seven touchdowns while also throwing nine interceptions, and his quarterback rating was just 76.7.
He did play better over the last several weeks of the season as Pittsburgh somehow managed to finish with a winning record.
Historically, NFL quarterbacks make their biggest jump in their third years, but at least for now, Pickett simply isn’t the answer.
The Steelers have other issues right now, including their running game.
Running back Najee Harris only has 74 rushing yards through two games, and he mustered just 43 yards on 10 rushing attempts versus Cleveland.
Luckily for Pittsburgh, a number of prominent AFC teams are struggling, and therefore at 1-1, they may have at least a faint hope of making it back to the playoffs.
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