Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph throw TD passes in Steelers' 16-15 victory at Jacksonville

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – All of those repetitions running the two-minute offense in training camp have made Kenny Pickett look like a resilient pro — and not a rookie quarterback — in his first NFL preseason.

Elevated to the second quarterback spot for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday, Pickett expertly led a touchdown drive late in the first half of a 16-15 victory at TIAA Bank Field.

Pickett threw an 11-yard scoring pass to running back Benny Snell Jr. that capped a five-play, 63-yard drive and provided the Steelers with a 7-6 lead with just 23 seconds left in the opening half.

“He looked relaxed,” wide receiver Diontae Johnson said. “Like he had been there before.”

Pickett had — and not just on the fields at Saint Vincent. One week earlier, he led the Steelers on a last-minute touchdown drive in a 32-25 victory against Seattle.

“You always have to want the ball in your hands,” said Pickett, who completed 6 of 7 passes for 76 yards in two series against Jacksonville. “I think the gamer comes out in me in those moments.”

Pickett’s touchdown pass represented the Steelers’ only points until Mason Rudolph led field goal and touchdown drives in the fourth quarter to help erase a 15-7 deficit.

Rudolph also ran the two-minute offense with ease, capping it with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Snead — on fourth-and-1 — with 1:56 left to push the Steelers ahead for good.

“We put an extra emphasis on the two-minute offense in preparation for this game,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “It’s good to see the time spent pay off.”

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Pickett’s touchdown drive lasted a mere 42 seconds and concluded his second possession. Starting quarterback Mitch Trubisky played the first three series.

Taking over at the Steelers 37 with 1:05 left following a fourth-down stop, Pickett completed 4 of 5 pass attempts — he spiked the ball to stop the clock on the other throw. He hooked up twice with tight end Pat Freiermuth for completions of 11 and 24 yards. This came after Pickett began the drive by hitting Johnson for a 17-yard gain across the middle.

“The key is getting that first completion and getting the drill started,” Pickett said.

Johnson appeared to catch an 11-yard touchdown pass with 29 seconds left, but the score was nullified by offsetting penalties. On the next play, Pickett flipped a short pass to Snell, who ran down the left side and dived into the end zone for the score.

Although Pickett continues to state his case in the competition to be the No. 1 quarterback, he hasn’t put much thought into it.

“I go out there and play. That’s it,” he said. “I’m a football player. Whatever number they have me, I don’t care. I’m going to go out and play every single time as hard as I can.”

After directing a touchdown drive on his opening series in the preseason opener, Trubisky couldn’t generate any points on his three possessions Saturday, although he didn’t get much help from his offensive line. The Steelers had two first downs while Trubisky was leading the offense.

Trubisky completed 5 of 8 passes for 60 yards and finished with an 85.4 passer rating. His best pass was a leaping 29-yard catch by Chase Claypool in traffic.

“I thought he created and extended some things when there wasn’t much there,” Tomlin said. “We have to do a better job protecting him and having some semblance of a running game if you want a fair evaluation.”

The first-team offensive line played into the third quarter, with Kendrick Green and Kevin Dotson rotating at left guard. Daniels and left tackle Dan Moore Jr. were flagged for holding while Pickett was in the game. The line also had difficulty pass protecting for Trubisky, who was sacked once and forced out of the pocket several other times. His 10-yard carry after evading pressure was the longest of the game until an 11-yarder by wide receiver Steven Sims late in the third quarter.

Playing with the backups, Rudolph completed 17 of 21 passes for 127 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. He finished with a 107.7 passer rating.

“It only hardens you, makes you better,” Rudolph said about being the No. 3 quarterback. “You want to mesh with the other teammates you might not work with. I can’t control it. I’m happy with the guys and the way we meshed tonight.”

On his second series, which started at the Steelers 2, Rudolph was called for intentional grounding in the end zone, which gave the Jaguars a safety and 8-7 lead.

Rudolph’s next series ended with a failed fourth-and-1 play that Jacksonville turned into a touchdown and 15-7 lead.

Nick Sciba kicked a 38-yard field goal with 6:20 to play to make it 15-10.

Justin Layne’s 34-yard interception return with 3:03 left gave the Steelers the ball at their 48 and a chance to take the lead. Rudolph had completions of 25 and 21 yards to Tyler Vaughns, putting the ball at the Jaguars 6. Another completion to Vaughns on third down put the ball at the 1. Rudolph found Snead coming across the middle for the go-ahead touchdown.

It was the same play the Steelers called at the end of Seven Shots in practice Thursday. Rudolph and Snead hooked up for the score that day, ensuring the offense would get steak and lobster at dinner.

This time, the prize was a preseason victory.

“I filed that one away,” Rudolph said. “I knew if we got in that situation it was something we could use.”