4 Winners, 3 Losers From Steelers Fall to Jets

PITTSBURGH -- Rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett's mid-game NFL debut lit a fire under the Pittsburgh Steelers and their fans. But it wasn't enough to help the Steelers overcome a 10-point deficit to the 

The defense needs some support but the offense looks like it's going to be able to give them some soon. This is still a flawed team but Pickett's debut had breathed new life into a team that was failing to even tread water, which is why he leads off this week's winners.  

Winners

Kenny Pickett

Mike Tomlin says it whenever the Steelers are dealing with injuries - one man's misfortune is another man's opportunity. Mitch Trubisky's misfortune was Kenny Pickett's opportunity and he took full advantage. 

The rookie quarterback, making the first regular season appearance of his career, was an instant spark for the Steelers. The sight of him jogging onto the field was enough to incite the crowd at Acrisure Stadium and his two rushing touchdowns pushed the Steelers out in front by 10 points. 

He made some mistakes - three interceptions and a mishandled pitch to Jaylen Warren - but he gave new energy to an offense that needed it desperately. 

George Pickens

This was easily Pickens' best game as a professional. He hauled in five of seven targets for 75 yards and became a go-to receiver for Pickett when the Steelers made a switch at quarterback. After a slow start to the year, this was a welcome sign. Pickens is dynamic and the Steelers need to get him involved to be at their best.

Pat Feiermuth

Freiermuth played his best game of the year as well with a season-high eight receptions. He opens up so much for the Steelers, who already have to pay outsized attention to Najee Harris and Diontae Johnson. He owned the middle of the field and created easy completions for both of his quarterbacks all afternoon. 

Alex Highsmith

Highsmith continues to anchor the front seven in T.J. Watt's absence. Four tackles, a sack and a tackle for loss all add up to a productive day as he continues to terrorize opposing quarterbacks. The defense needs a more complete effort from all 11 players to be at their best and cover for the offense's struggles but Highsmith is holding up his end of the bargain.

Losers

Steelers Run Defense

A blueprint for how to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers is becoming very clear. If you can hold your own with them for three quarters, odds are a sluggish offense will force the defense to stay on the field for much longer than they can bear. 

The floodgates opened in the final period for the Steelers' defense. Breece Hall ran with punishing authority and set up Zach Wilson for chunk plays downfield. Mike Tomlin referenced fatigue as one part of why the Steelers didn't make the necessary plays down the stretch of a close game. Missed tackles and assignments that did not occur earlier in the game surfaced over and over again late.  

Offensive line

The offensive line did Trubisky few favors during a poor first half. They routinely held the unit back with poorly timed penalties. It was a particularly disappointing game for this unit because they had exceeded expectations to this point. What was once thought to be one of the worst lines in the NFL had been perfectly fine through the first three weeks of 2022, but their performance against the Jets is a reminder of why expectations were so low. 

Mitch Trubisky

This is pretty self-explanatory. The six-year veteran was benched for a rookie and it came to the delight of what sounded like every fan at Acrisure Stadium. 

All week, his head coach preached patience and said the team would not jump ship too quickly, but it took all of 14 quarters for Tomlin to abandon his starting quarterback and look for a spark in the team's first-round pick from 2021. Pickett provided that spark but threw three costly interceptions as well. The quarterback competition supposedly closed in training camp has been reopened, and Trubisky and Pickett will battle again for the right to start at the open of this team's toughest stretch. 

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