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Kenny Pickett, Steelers starters look dominant in first drive against Falcons

DSprofileby:Dustin Schutte•08/24/23•

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kenny pickett throwing
Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

The Steelers‘ starting offense cut through the Falcons’ non-starting defense like a warm knife through butter on Thursday night. On the team’s opening drive of the final preseason game, Pittsburgh put together an eight-play, 92-yard touchdown drive, highlighted by an impressive throw from Kenny Pickett to George Pickens.

Pickett hit Pickens for a 35-yard catch along the sideline. The throw was in a great spot and Pickens held off a defender to make the grab.

On the next play, running back Najee Harris capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to give the Steelers an early lead. Atlanta looked pretty discombobulated.

Head coach Mike Tomlin said prior to Thursday’s preseason finale that he expected starters to see the field. He wanted everyone to get at least a few reps to close out the preseason.

It worked out pretty well for the Steelers early.

Kenny Pickett compared to another Steelers great

Pickett put together an impressive opening drive in Thursday’s preseason game against the Falcons. And even though we haven’t reached the regular season yet, it does give fans some hope about the 2023 campaign.

That strong opening drive and connection with Pickens might give some credence to an assessment former Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch made recently.

In an appearance on The Fan Morning Show, Batch compared Pickett to Pittsburgh legend Ben Roethlisberger.

“Now he’s had a chance to breathe this offseason, truly get a few weeks off that he can allow his body to adjust where everybody’s talked about the added muscle that he mentioned 13 pounds in this off season,” Batch said. “And when I had the opportunity to just sit down and talk to him, I say, ‘Hey man, how’s everything going?’ He said, ‘Man, it’s night and day compared to this time last year? And that lets me know the game is slowing down for him, and when you watch him methodically go through his reads and practice, it’s like, ‘Oh, this guy gets it.’”

That’s a pretty favorable comparison for Pickett. Roethlisberger was long considered one of the top quarterbacks in the league during his era. He helped lead the Steelers to a Super Bowl, too.

Not to put too much on Pickett’s shoulders or anything.

Pickett still has a lot to learn in the NFL. He enters just his second season in 2023. But if he’s already drawing comparisons to Roethlisberger, that’s a pretty good sign.