Former Steelers LB Robert Spillane Skirts Around Opportunity To Compliment A Surging Kenny Pickett

The Pittsburgh Steelers are now sitting atop the AFC North after a huge Week 3 win on Sunday Night Football against the Las Vegas Raiders. It was the most complete overall performance from the team in the 2023 regular season and a 2-0 start in the conference along with a divisional win is not to go unnoticed. Mike Tomlin's group was victorious by a score of 23-18 and while they certainly made it interesting at the end, the defense stepped up as it usually does. Levi Wallace came up big with two interceptions in the contest.

Despite only allowing 18 points, Tomlin was not thrilled with his defense's performance in the game. He didn't think that the unit made enough plays and implied that a few more big moments would have been appreciated. Overall, though, a fan watching should have been very pleased with the defense and happy that the offense showed significant signs of improvement.

The loss drops the Raiders to 1-2 and Josh McDaniels may find him on the hot seat as the season progresses if his team continues to lose games. The Steelers seem to be heading in a different direction with a winnable game against the Houston Texans in Week 4. It's not to be taken lightly, however, as Houston upset the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.

A familiar face for Pittsburgh was on the field consistently on Sunday evening for the Raiders. Linebacker, Robert Spillane signed with Las Vegas in the 2023 offseason after spending the four prior seasons with the Steelers. He played 100% of the defensive snaps for the Raiders on Sunday night and came up with seven total tackles.

Former Steelers' Spillane Not Quick To Give Any Compliments To Kenny Pickett

Spillane spoke with Las Vegas media members after the defeat and answered several questions referring to the game and his team's performance. One reporter brought up Kenny Pickett and his mobility on Sunday night. The quarterback was under pressure quite often, but only was sacked once. He used his legs to make a difference in the game. Spillane didn't seem overly impressed though. Instead of discussing Pickett, he generalized and referred to the NFL as a whole.

"Yeah," Spillane said with a subtle sigh. "These young quarterbacks all across the league are mobile with big arms and can run and throw so something we're going to have to get fixed moving forward."

Most players and coaches of losing teams will directly credit certain individuals and the team that got the better of them, but that was not the case here. Spillane specifically skirted around giving any credit to Pickett and implied that nothing he did was all that special. The fact of the matter is Pickett should have been sacked several more times, but was able to avoid that with the use of his legs.

Pickett only had three rushes for 11 yards, but the box score doesn't show the whole story. He was constantly moving around in the pocket looking down the field and made some of his best throws of the entire season. It was rather interesting to hear Spillane completely ignore the reporter's question that was specifically directed at the Steelers signal-caller.

Spillane's comments definitely make sense as the quarterbacks throughout the league have gotten significantly faster and more agile in recent years. He might have felt that Pickett didn't do a phenomenal job and was speaking out of spite due to the loss. Regardless, the Steelers picked up a huge win on the road and Pickett was a major reason why. He put on his best performance of the 2023 season and his mobility was a giant factor.

Why do you think Spillane didn't compliment or give credit to Pickett directly? Let us know in the comments below!

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