Steelers Defense Dominate Kenny Pickett In 7 Shots, But Offensive Silver Lining Is Here

As the calendar turned to August and the Pittsburgh Steelers introduced pads into training camp, the heat and intensity took to a new level. Fans were finally able to see some more physical reps, leading to increased excitement for the pending season. For the players, this brought an amplified level of competition, risk of injury and a renewed sense of urgency in stating their respective cases for the final roster. After an exciting first day of pads, the fireworks continued deeper into the week.

The “Seven Shots” drill has been a fan favorite at Steelers training camp for years. It is specifically designed to pit the offensive and defensive units against each other in goal-to-go scenarios in front of the crowd. As the name alludes, the goal for each unit is to win the most of seven plays. Earlier in camp, we were able to watch the defense grab four of seven wins at the hands of Mason Rudolph. On Wednesday, the pads were on for this edition, and it did not disappoint.

Steelers Defense Shows Out Against Struggling Offense In Seven Shots

With league officials on hand to help with additional eyes downfield, they were all hands-on-deck for Wednesday’s Seven Shots drill. With the first team offense out on the field first, they noticeably struggled. Kenny Pickett took the first-team reps, which consumed the opening four reps of the sequence. The opening play featured an incompletion from Pickett targeting Diontae Johnson. Johnson ran a slick pivot route right along to the goal line, only for the ball to hit off his hands and fall harmlessly to the turf.

The play following was the currently-hot duo of Pickett to George Pickens. After throwing an incompletion on his first rep, Pickett seemed to deliver a perfectly placed pass to Pickens in the back of the end zone against Patrick Peterson. However, the back judge threw his hat after the play, declaring Pickens had stepped out of the end zone prior to touching the ball, leading to a 0-2 score in favor of the defense. In the third rep, Pickett looked right back to Pickens in the end zone, but the same result of an incomplete pass resulted.

On the following rep, fans were able to get the first glance of newly-acquired Kwon Alexander in action against the Steelers rush offense. With Pickett still under center, he handed the ball off to Anthony McFarland Jr. who was immediately stuffed by Alexander. While McFarland Jr.'s skillset isn’t one that favors him as a true goal line running back, Alexander showed he arrived to camp as advertised. Alexander has built his reputation around being a tough, tenacious tackler and that is exactly what fans saw in his early action.

After Pickett’s offense failed to score on four plays, Mitchell Trubisky led the offense on the following three plays. In his first snap, Trubisky looked for one of the largest players on the roster in rookie Darnell Washington. Using Washington’s 6’7” stature to his favor, Trubisky delivered a jump ball over Miles Killebrew that was brought down by Washington. With that score, the offense was finally on the board.

On the following play, Trubisky was able to provide a repeat performance. Gunner Olszewski was in the lineup and is in dire need of a strong camp to determine his employment status come September. With him working inside, Olszewski ran a bit of an option route, found an opening in the defense and Trubisky delivered the ball right to him. With that second consecutive touchdown, the offense seemed to have found some rhythm. In the final rep, Trubisky looked for another camp-hopeful in Cody White in the end zone. That pass fell incomplete and capped off a defensive win with a final score of 5-2.

Even though it is a microcosm of football, the drill of Seven Shots is aimed to highlight one of the biggest catalysts to winning games; scoring touchdowns in the red zone. The Steelers have had moderate success in the last few seasons in that area of the field, but that is one of the key differences Head Coach, Mike Tomlin preaches in press conferences following a loss. In 2022, the Steelers posted a 51.92 percent touchdown-scoring rate inside the red zone. That listed them 22nd in the league, just a bit higher than the Aaron Rodgers-led Green Bay Packers (51.85 percent). That number for the Steelers dropped from their 2021 rate, which was 54.72 percent.

In 2022, Pickett and the offense performed best inside the red zone in the friendly confines of Acrisure Stadium. Their red zone scoring percentage at home was 57.69 percent, which was the 13th best in the league. However, they struggled on the road. Albeit early road struggles against the Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles, the negative trend established itself and continued through the season. On the road, the Steelers offense posted an abysmal 46.15 scoring percentage which put them at 21st in the league.

The drill can be evaluated on film by both squads and can be equally positive and negative at the same time. For the defense, they rose to the challenge and were able to stop the first-team offense close to the goal line. Alexander was able to establish himself as the heavy run-stuffer inside, with hopeful defensive back, Duke Dawson assuming the inside slot cornerback duties. 

For the offense, this was a sloppy effort featuring dropped passes and poor footwork in the end zone that forced them off the field on four downs. If there was any offensive silver lining, it is that Washington has obviously worked on sharpening himself as a well-rounded tight end, and he is beginning to emerge as a serious red zone threat for 2023.

What did you take away from Wednesday’s Seven Shots drill? What are you expecting the Steelers’ redzone offense to produce in 2023? Let us know in the comments below!

#SteelerNation