Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger Frustrated With Inconsistent QB Play: "I Feel Like Kenny [Pickett] Has Missed Some Throws"

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Kenny Pickett won another close game on Thursday Night Football, 20-16, against the Tennessee Titans. Pittsburgh trailed 16-13 heading into the fourth quarter, and Pickett demonstrated again that he can disregard three-quarters of uneven play to perform brilliantly with the game on the line. The Steelers' win secured their hold on second place in the AFC North. 

Ben Roethlisberger and Spencer Te'o, for the second week in a row, went live during the game with Episode 41 of Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger. The future Hall of Fame quarterback did not start his live stream until halftime of the Thursday Night Football game. Roethlisberger began the stream with some pointed criticism of the current Steelers signal-caller.

“I feel like Kenny missed some throws recently, some open guys,” Roethlisberger observed. “The one down the middle to [Calvin] Austin that the linebacker knocked down. He throws that out there. It’s a touchdown. It’s a huge play.”

Pickett left the Week 8 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars with what was reported as a rib injury just four days before the Titans game. Rib injuries often come down to the individual’s tolerance for pain. The injury subsided to the point that Pickett did not appear on the injury report. However, it is possible that the pain associated with throwing the ball hampered him.

“He missed George [Pickens] on a shallow cross which would have been a big play,” Roethlisberger continued. “I don’t think that Tennessee has the best defense in the NFL. Let’s get Kenny into a rhythm. I haven’t seen much rhythm since the first series. Those are the scripted plays, anyway. It seems like when things are off script a little bit, it kind of goes back to what we’ve expected.”

Roethlisberger played most of his career off-script. No quarterback in NFL history was better at improvisation than the two-time Super Bowl champion. When he was younger, the pass play didn’t start until Roethlisberger shook off the first pass rusher. Pickett is a rhythm passer who struggles mightily when off schedule during the first three quarters.

It is an odd phenomenon because when the game shifts to the fourth quarter, Pickett is at his best. He has three quarters of the information stored in his mind. Pickett has a more cerebral approach to playing quarterback than Roethlisberger had out of necessity. He doesn’t have the physical gifts of his predecessor, who could seemingly just process information in real time and instinctively make the right play.

Roethlisberger rarely doubted his decision-making, even when it was flawed. Pickett is occasionally hesitant, which has cost the offense dearly in crucial situations in 2023. He has been late on several throws at the goal line over the first eight games that have cost the Steelers touchdowns. It is hard to figure out how Pickett can be indecisive at critical points early in games and then magically flip a switch at the end. 

Pickett followed his own personal script with a much better performance in the second half of the Titans game. He made a perfect throw to George Pickens in the end zone that was erased when the second-year wide receiver failed to drag his foot. Based on the plays Pickens has made in his young career, it is hard not to point to the failure to get his second foot in bounds as anything but a significant mental error. 

After the Steelers defense surrendered the lead 16-13, Pickett led an 11-play 92-yard drive for the game-winning touchdown. Pickett ended Diontae Johnson's 655-day touchdown drought to give the Steelers a 20-16 lead with just over four minutes remaining. The Steelers were outgained for the eighth consecutive game in 2023, but the Titans learned what seems to be a fundamental NFL lesson. If Pickett has a chance to beat you in the fourth quarter, he will. 

Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger Issues Massive Apology To Kenny Pickett

Roethlisberger pointed out that Pickett did not play well in the first half. He has been cautious with criticism of Pickett since he admitted that he was not exactly rooting for his successor at the beginning of the 2022 season. That admission drew fervent outrage and surprising support from different segments of the media. 

Pickett's biggest fan has not given up on the former Pitt Panthers standout. The second-year signal-caller has come under increasing fire for his inconsistency from multiple sources. Even his staunchest critics however, have to admit that Pickett's fourth-quarter heroics make it hard to write him off as a substandard NFL quarterback. 

What do you think, Steeler Nation? Why does Pickett struggle for large stretches, but then find a way to put one incredible drive together in the fourth quarter? Please comment below or on my Twitter/X: @thebubbasq. 

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