Steelers Aren't Underdogs With Kenny Pickett at QB
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PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers feel different. But maybe that's because they are.
It took two drives for the Steelers offense to feel like there was life once rookie Kenny Pickett stepped onto the field in Week 4 against the New York Jets. Three interceptions and two rushing touchdowns later, you'd think it felt a little less exciting, but that "spark" of Pickett's hasn't faded - and has somehow gotten stronger as they prepare for the Buffalo Bills.
"In our minds, we’re going to go out and win the game," Steelers center Mason Cole said. "Screw the Vegas lines. We don’t worry about that, whether we are favorites or underdogs."
That's the energy in Pittsburgh this week. No one believes in the word "underdog". What they do believe in is Pickett, and his command of the team has seemed to set the tone for overcoming a historical disadvantage.
"It’s the attitude in which you go about it," Pickett said. "You guys and everyone else think we’re underdogs, but we don’t. We’re going to go in there with some confidence. We know how great we can be when we’re detailed and we execute at a high level. That’s something that we need to take care of during the week or we won’t have a shot."
Pickett's energy has spread quickly through the offense, but he's focused on winning and understands that doesn't come if he's too high at all times.
"Doing my job at a high level, playing with energy, but at the same time, I don’t like to get too high or too low," Pickett said on keeping the spark. "I know I show some emotion out there. On Sunday, I felt like we needed it. It’s really reading the room, read the situation and fit the kind of leadership style that needs to be fit. That’s really what I’ll take from it and be myself on Sunday."
He and everyone else in the locker room acknowledge the Bills are one of the best teams in football. But he also understands how good the Steelers can be if they get the details right offensively.
The energy of this team once felt very dim - which isn't a direct cause of Mitch Trubisky, but rather a compliment to what Pickett has been able to do. Now, they need to go out and end a losing streak.
Pickett plans on doing just that.
"I want to raise the level of play of everyone around me, but we have so many great players and I’ve got to do my job," Pickett said. "I have 100 percent trust and confidence that every single guy in the huddle will do their job. I think that everybody was just raised that way. So, everyone’s just got to own their business, own their job and we’ll be alright."
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