If the Pittsburgh Steelers are going to turn their 2022 season around, they will need a miracle. They have struggled in every facet of the game this season, as they are near the bottom of the league in most statistics both offensively and defensively.
Mike Tomlin’s record of consecutive seasons to start a head coaching career is in serious jeopardy as the Steelers are currently 3-7 without much going for them. The only glimmer of hope they have at turning things around is that they have their entire defensive unit healthy, but that didn’t stop the Cincinnati Bengals from torching them in Week 11 despite not having Ja’Marr Chase in the lineup.
The defense turning things around is the only chance Pittsburgh has at making something out of this season as the offense is a work in progress with rookie Kenny Pickett taking the team over. Unsurprisingly, the 20th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft has struggled this season.
It is tough for rookies to find success in the NFL right away, but the situation that Pickett stepped into would be tough for veterans to find success in. The Steelers’ offensive line is a patchwork unit and the lack of a running game enables teams to pin their ears back and get after the young quarterback.
That has led to him facing immense pressure throughout the season and his individual results haven’t been very encouraging. Right now, according to NFL on CBS, Pickett has the worst touchdown-to-interception ratio in the NFL at 0.38, throwing only three touchdowns compared to eight interceptions.
Cutting back on turnovers is something that Pickett acknowledged that he needed to work on and was an emphasis of his practice during their bye on Week 9. So far so good, as Pickett hasn’t thrown an interception on 72 pass attempts the last two weeks and has not fumbled either, with one touchdown pass and one rushing score.
That kind of progress is something that the Steelers can be encouraged by during the second half of the season. Pickett is the future at the quarterback position and while wins may be hard to come by in the final seven games, if he shows that he is a capable starter the rest of the way, that would be a win for the franchise.
