Feats of Strength: Perfect Pickett delivers unbeaten preseason

I’m not going to be the one to remind you that the Steelers went 3-0 in the preseason last year, too, and missed the playoffs.

Wait, I did that already.

This feels different, though, doesn’t it?

The Steelers sparkled in all areas, sweeping through their three-game preseason. It culminated with a 24-0 victory in Atlanta during the finale Thursday night. A lot of Steelers starters looked like first-teamers overwhelming backups for the hometown Falcons.

Because that’s exactly what transpired.

But evaluating the Steelers’ top-of-the-roster players on their own merits and execution should leave the fanbase highly optimistic about what may come in 2023.

Here’s this week’s “Feats of Strength” as we turn the page on the opening act and get ready for the feature event. The regular season begins Sunday, Sept. 10, at Acrisure Stadium against the San Francisco 49ers.

Then we’ll see if all the good vibes continue when it matters.

Perfect Pickett

Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett led the first-team offense to scoring drives on all five of the possessions he piloted over the three preseason games. He totaled 13-of-15 passing for 199 yards, two touchdowns and a perfect passer rating of 158.3.

Specifically, on Thursday, Pickett went 4 of 4 for 86 yards. Two of the passes were meticulously placed deep shots to Diontae Johnson (46 yards) and George Pickens (35 yards) to set up the team’s first touchdown on the opening drive.

Kenny Pickett DIME

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PICKETT TO PICKENS IS BACK.

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“We did what we’re supposed to do in this environment,” coach Mike Tomlin said at halftime of the KDKA broadcast. “But we recognize that the regular season is a different environment. There’s a different intensity to it. There’s a different level of detail and preparedness. So we’re not making too much out of what we’ve done. Although, we’ve done what we needed to do.”

Mitch Trubisky replaced Pickett for the third drive. He completed his first seven passes and led two scoring drives.

Lovin’ the outside linebackers

The Steelers defense was good, too, pitching a shutout. The outside linebackers, specifically, made a number of big plays.

T.J. Watt had a sack on the first series.

TJ Watt in midseason form ????

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Later in the game, Nick Herbig and Quincy Roche came off the bench and each had a sack. For Herbig, that’s 3½ sacks in three preseason games as a rookie.

“I thought they played fast,” Tomlin said of the defense. “Part of playing fast is not only knowing what to do but understanding how you fit in the big scheme of things. All of that requires communication. I like the bones of what we’re working with there.”

Roche’s sack occurred in the fourth quarter. It resulted in a fumble by quarterback Logan Woodside. Toby Ndukwe recovered it. Ndukwe added a sack of his own on the last snap of the game.

Elandon was elite

Some of the inside linebackers flashed, too. Elandon Roberts, specifically, popped off the screen.

The veteran free agent acquisition had a tackle for loss on the first snap of the game and a sack in the second quarter.

“I just feel like the whole (ILB) room is playing off each other. We just have to keep it going,” Roberts said after the game. “Games like this, you can’t waste. We went in there working on our communication, working on what we need to work on as a defense.”

Also, Mark Robinson was clutch on the Falcons’ opening possession of the third quarter. He combined with cornerback Joey Porter Jr. to force a fumble at the 5-yard line. Kenny Robinson recovered. That halted what had been a 12-play, 73-yard drive.

Both backs

After a week of debating if Jaylen Warren should bite into Najee Harris’ carry total, both running backs were effective Thursday.

Harris picked up 18 yards on four carries for a 4.5-average. He added a touchdown and had a 16-yard reception. Warren only had two carries, but he picked up 14 yards, including a tough second-effort touchdown.

Jaylen Warren follows up Najee's TD with a score of his own

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Third-stringer Anthony McFarland got into the act. He had 55 yards on 10 carries and fought his way into the end zone for a hard-fought third-quarter score.

The Steelers were 3 of 5 in the red zone.

Precise punting

Don’t overlook the special teams. For a second straight week, they were sound, despite a penalty on the opening kick return.

Calvin Austin III had a 21-yard punt return. Chris Boswell made all four of his place kicks. Most noticeably, the punters—Pressley Harvin and Braden Mann—dropped all four of their punts inside the 20.

Harvin did that five times in the previous game against Buffalo. The Georgia Tech product sunk one at the 3-yard line on his only attempt of the game. One of Mann’s punts ended up inside the 20 after traveling 61 yards.