Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett got a text from his personal quarterback coach Tony Racioppi after a rough performance in Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers that read: "Adversity makes the weak, weaker and the strong, stronger. And you're strong." As the young quarterback tries to turn the page for a big divisional rival in the Cleveland Browns on Monday night at home, Racioppi firmly believes that Pickett will be better because of how things went down in the season opener.
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Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett faced heavy pressure during the team's home opener against the San Francisco 49ers.
Racioppi joined co-hosts Adam Crowley and Dorin Dickerson on The Morning Show on 93.7 The Fan to break down what happened in the season-opening debacle at Acrisure Stadium. He had a similar evaluation of Pickett's performance in Week 1 to former longtime Steelers starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The two-time Super Bowl winner said multiple times during his podcast reviewing the game that the University of Pittsburgh product "looked off."
"The NFL is tough," Racioppi said. "There's going to be moments that you don't play well, and you miss things you don't normally miss. Some of those throws he missed in the first half, he's thrown those balls seven million times."
Crowley wondered aloud if it was a footwork issue in the game causing Pickett to look out of sorts on Sunday. Racioppi said he thought it looked "pretty clean" and that it was more of the 49ers having a solid plan schematically through the contest that made things difficult for Pickett.
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Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett throws a pass during Week 1 in 2023 against the San Francisco 49ers.
The other two factors Racioppi pointed to that made it difficult for Pickett to succeed on Sunday were the score being as lopsided as it was and the Steelers' lack of manageable third-down situations. He said that the 49ers having that commanding lead early and the lack of short-distance third-down plays where the defense had to worry about a throw or a run made the game tough on Pickett.
Racioppi said because the team was forced into dropback passing for the majority of the game, they couldn't establish things that have helped Pickett succeed in the past. He admitted that the second interception of the game that Pickett threw was a bad one. On the play, Pickett was targeting tight end Conner Heyward and had the pass tipped by 49ers linebacker Fred Warner into the hands of safety Talanoa Hufanga.
Racioppi understood why Pickett was trying to force the ball downfield while trailing by 20 points, but still said it wasn't a good decision.
Steelers' Offensive Bright Spot Came In Two-Minute Drill
The one positive out of the whole mess of a game for the Steelers offense came as they got the ball on their own five-yard line with 1:35 left to go in the second quarter. The group managed to move the ball all the way down to the 49ers' end with some big plays, including a 24-yard run by Najee Harris, and some penalties by San Francisco. They capped it off with Pickett finding Pat Freiermuth in the end zone for their lone score of the afternoon.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers running back Najee Harris flies over San Francisco 49ers safety Talanoa Hufanga during Week 1 in 2023.
Racioppi said that the 49ers gave Pittsburgh different looks on the drive and were playing further off the receivers, which allowed them to push the ball downfield.
"The nice thing about the up-tempo offense as a quarterback is you get the guys the ball and you can see what's going on faster," he said. "Sometimes it limits the defense's menu because of that."
He said that it could be something the team decides to go to more often going forward, but he cautioned going to it too often. He explained that if things aren't going well in the hurry-up offense, it sends the defense out faster because the drive only lasted like :20 seconds.
Racioppi said that he leaves the technical aspects of the offense to the Steelers coaching staff. He highlighted the team quarterback coach Mike Sullivan who he called one of the best in the business. He said his role during the season is more about ensuring Pickett has the best mindset. After one of the worst performances as a pro on Sunday, Pickett is going to need his whole team of support staff to have him ready to go against Cleveland on Monday night.
Do you think the Steelers need to go to more hurry-up offense? What did you think of Racioppi's assessment of Pickett in Week 1? Comment below!
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