Every pass the rookie QB threw was caught: 10 by Steelers and three by the visiting Jets. The kid played well but Lady Luck wasn’t on the Steelers’ side today to the tune of a 24-20 home loss.
After an exchange of punts, Pittsburgh made the first mistake. QB Mitch Trubisky’s pass was deflected by a defender, then by WR Diontae Johnson, then dug off the turf for an interception.
OLB Alex Highsmith’s 5.5th sack (there has to be a better way of saying that) and a pressure/PBU from MLB Devin Bush helped hold the Jets to a field goal. 3-0 NYJ
Spooky Season began in earnest on the South Shore when Trubisky responded to those three points with the Steelers’ league-leading 12th three-and-out of the year…and the fans weren’t saying “Muth” this time.
Zach Wilson got the offense clicking with some long completions to Elijah Moore. Breece Hall finally found the edge of a rush defense that had been stout thus far. Then a double-reverse that started and ended in Wilson’s hands cracked the end zone. 10-0 NYJ
Trubisky connected with rookie WR George Pickens (over the middle of the field, no less) for 26 yards. Back-to-back runs of 10+ yards (from HB’s Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris) kept the momentum clicking. WR Diontae Johnson had a wonderful toe-dragging catch in the back of the end zone but it was called incomplete on the field and upheld after review. K Chis Boswell got the Black and Gold on the board with a 51-yarder. 10-3 NYJ
As close as Diontae was to having a TD on the previous drive, FS Minkah Fitzpatrick was even closer to his third pick of the season on third down. Flying toward the sideline with his toes dragging he laid out and made a stellar catch, but his momentum pulled a foot off the ground a fraction of a second too soon.
CB Arthur Maulet nearly ended the next drive with a 3rd down INT. Third time’s the charm! CB Cam Sutton came off his man to pick off a pass (on third down) and give the Steelers one last chance.
Mitch was starting drives off with good throws but slamming the door shut on them by taking sacks. Two of his three first half sacks came on 3rd down. He launched a Hail Mary as time expired that ended up in the arms of a Jet, but the play was negated due to a roughing penalty. With no time on the clock Boswell came out and knocked through a 59-yarder: a new stadium record.
Halftime Score: 10-6 NYJ Trubisky: 7/13 84 yards 0 TD 1 INT 3 sacks
The Pittsburgh defense came out stifling with big plays from Bush and Minkah. PR Gunner Olszewski almost ruined the party with his second fumble on the year but when the dust settled it was Qb Kenny Pickett running on the field for the Steelers’ offense.
A QB sneak on 4th and 1 from their own 30 seemed to set a tone but Pickett’s first pass attempt was picked off. He had an entire quadrant of field open he could have led WR Chase Claypool into but he left it over the middle, creating a combat catch scenario in which Chase was out-numbered.
Turn-about is fair play: four plays later Minkah turned a tipped pass back the other way and took it down inside New York’s 5. A shovel to TE Zach Gentry and a run from Najee got it to the 1. They called the QB sneak again: it was initially bottled up but a second effort from the linemen pushed Pickett across for his first NFL TD and the Steelers’ first end zone action of the day. 13-10 PIT
The young Pickett was rolling pockets, he was scrambling (for positive yards), he was throwing on the run, he was living on Pickens’ back shoulder…
Other than that interception Kenny completed his next six passing attempts for 56 yards. He followed up his goal-line plunge with a read-option keeper from two yards out for his second rushing TD of the day. 20-10 PIT
Zach Wilson had some fight in him yet. He drove his troops down to the Steelers’ one-yard-line; despite consecutive penalties that pushed them back outside the 10 they were able to punch it through. 20-17 PIT
Diontae’s first two catches on the day got the chains clicking and another huge back-shoulder, third-down hook-up with Pickens had the Steelers threatening. Another ill-advised throw led to a tipped pass which led to another Jets interception. With 3-and-a-half minutes to play New York had the ball on their own 35.
A chunk pass on first down got them to midfield. S Tre Norwood made a marvelous play in run support and MLB Myles Jack tackled a catch to set up a 3rd and 6 at the 2-minute warning. A scary moment (spooky season) when Minkah appeared to injure his knee making a tackle after an 8-yard pass but he was back a play or two later. Then DT Cam Heyward went down…but he also returned. The Jets were down on the Pittsburgh 2-yard-line.
They ran it and made a reach for the goal-line. Minkah punched the ball loose; it was called a fumble on the field but on review they were granted a TD. 24-20 NYJ
With :16 to play and 75 yards to go, Kenny found 27 yards over the middle to Pickens. With the two injury stoppages on the Jets’ last drive, they were now out of timeouts.
:08 on the clock at Jets’ 48 yard-line: Kenny Pickett’s pass intercepted in the end zone. Final Score: 24-20 NYJ
Steely Cam 