Steelers, Kenny Pickett Find Beauty In Winning Ugly: "As Long As We're Getting Wins, I Sleep Good"

For the Pittsburgh Steelers, there hasn’t been much beauty sprinkled on their 2023 season. That is, outside of their 6-3 record which is one of the top seven in the conference. In turn, that record sits the Steelers in a premature playoff spot with eight weeks left to go in the season. Although it may seem ugly to those outside of the locker room, Head Coach Mike Tomlin echoed remarks of the late Oakland Raiders owner, Al Davis, to the tune of, “just win, baby.”

That tune, as close to ‘Pittsburgh-izing’ it as one can do, is permeating throughout the close-knit locker room as the team prepares for a critical AFC North showdown against the Cleveland Browns. In the past, Tomlin has proclaimed in repetition that style points do not matter in the NFL and he’s happy with a win however the team can get it. As fate has it, the Steelers are the only team to be outgained on the field in every game, yet score enough points to earn them six wins. With the game week’s preparation well under way, Tomlin’s warranted acceptance of winning ugly is the new battle cry of the team.

Steelers, Kenny Pickett Win Ugly

Although the notion is seemingly split among the Steelers fan base, the performance of Kenny Pickett hasn’t been what we saw in the August preseason slate and what was expected from the second-year quarterback. Sure, Pickett hasn’t lit up the stat sheet on a weekly basis or has become every fantasy team manager’s dream. But the reality is, is that he hasn’t been the sole reason of any of the team’s three losses. Although Tomlin acknowledged more is expected from Pickett, Pickett knows the wins come first. After the team’s practice session on Wednesday, Pickett met with the media and shared his concurrence with his head coach.

“Winning is, you gotta win at all cost in this game,” Pickett said. “That’s all I truly care about. Of course, you want to light up the stat sheet, but as long as we’re getting wins, I sleep good with getting a win. So, keep pushing, keep having that mindset, stay together as a group, and we’ll be alright.”

To some fans’ dismay, it is hard to argue that mindset of Pickett, Tomlin, and the other voices in the locker room. To fact of the matter is, looking back to all the moves the Steelers made from their final snap against the Browns in January, leading up to this point of the season, the objective of winning ugly is the offspring of those. Those moves being the bulk up the offensive and defensive lines, lean on the running game to maintain possession, and completely remove the majority of the pressure off Pickett and onto the proven defense makes all the sense in the world.

The passing chart from the 23-19 victory against the Green Bay Packers amplifies those remarks. To the pedestrian eye, it looks like a boring, mundane offense resulting in one of the bottom-tiered quarterback performances of the week. But to add the details of the Steelers having a 100-yard rusher with another 82-yard rusher, averaging well over five yards-per-carry, score twice on the ground, and win the time of possession battle, that is how the Steelers have wanted to play football in years. Not to mention, the team is tied for first in the league in the turnover margin with a +10 turnover differential.

When the Steelers used their 20th overall draft pick in 2021 on Pickett, they knew what they were getting. Even though he was a Heisman finalist in his final season in college, Pickett’s tape was peppered with picking up those tough yards in got-to-have-it moments, overcoming adversity against superior programs to grind out wins, and putting an offense together that came out of nowhere to win a conference championship in 2021. Pickett decided to playout his full eligibility in college to win games for the University of Pittsburgh, however they come, and he did exactly that. That commitment resulted in delivering something that the university hasn't seen on over a decade. Now, he’s using that same mentality at the next level to repeat that same campaign; all centered around ‘just winning.’

Fans have been able to bear witness to Pickett’s heroics in the final quarter of games. In the first three quarters of the game, Pickett sits close to the bottom in almost every statistical category. But once the game clock flips to the final stanza in regulation, Pickett seems to flip a switch with it. In doing so, he posts a 101.5 passer rating, a 64.9 completion percentage, and a trio of game-winning drives in 2023, with seven in his young career. For Pickett, winning ugly is what he does; and the Steelers are rightfully embracing and supporting it. 

It may take the fan base more time to come around to it, but the writing is on the wall for those in denial. A win is a win no matter how it happens, and the Steelers have one of the best quarterbacks to emerge victorious when the team needs him most. It is simply a matter of sustaining that effort through a hopeful playoff push.

Do you agree with the Steelers stance on winning ugly? Do you think this is sustainable? Let us know in the comments below!

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