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Steelers, Kenny Pickett cut down on sacks just in time to face Ravens defense

Joe Rutter
| Wednesday, December 7, 2022 3:55 p.m.
AP
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett (8) works in the pocket against the Atlanta Falcons during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 4, 2022, in Atlanta.

Kenny Pickett doesn’t expect to be so fortunate this Sunday.

For the first time in eight NFL starts, Pickett wasn’t sacked when the Steelers defeated the Atlanta Falcons, 19-16, last weekend to win their second consecutive game.

Pickett was hit four times but not brought down once in the 28 times he dropped back to pass.

This week, he’ll be facing a Baltimore Ravens team that ranks fifth in the NFL with 37 sacks. Only one team in the AFC, the New England Patriots with 39, has more.

“Their blitz package is pretty diverse,” Pickett said. “They have a lot of different looks. We have to be diligent in our preparation and have some good answers.”

For all of the Ravens’ success at getting sacks, they have done it without relying heavily on the blitz. They are blitzing 20.4% of the defensive snaps, according to Pro Football Reference. The Steelers blitz 32.2% of the time to rank fifth among NFL teams.

Pickett and the offensive line have done a good job of keeping him clean since the first game after the bye. Since being sacked six times by New Orleans, Pickett has been sacked five times combined over the past three.

“I think we do a great job of going through a lot of the different looks through the week and just knowing our gameplan and knowing where I need to be to get the ball out if the pressure comes up,” Pickett said.

Pickett also is wary of the Ravens’ ability to force turnovers. The Ravens are tied for third in the NFL with 20 takeaways. Pickett, meanwhile, hasn’t thrown an interception since the bye, amassing a string of 128 passes without a pick.

“They ball search,” he said. “They’ve got guys on all three levels that hunt the football. … It’s something we have to be self-conscious of it like we have been doing, but we know it’s going to be a taller order this week with how much they hunt the football.”

The game will mark Pickett’s indoctrination to the series, one of the fiercest rivalries in the NFL. The Ravens are tied atop the AFC North with an 8-4 record, while the Steelers will be trying to win a season-high third game in a row and move within a game of .500.

“They are a great team, a great opponent,” Pickett said. “There’s a lot of history in the rivalry. I’m looking forward to it.”


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