Steel City Underground will pick an exceptional play of the game as a highlight each week of the Steelers 2022 regular season. Stay tuned as we hand-select the very best from the Black and Gold!

With the disappointing loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 5 of the 2022 NFL regular season, not many had high hopes that a Steelers rookie quarterback was going to be able to go toe-to-toe with Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 6. Despite the lack of optimism, Pickett showed he’s ready for the big leagues and competing with the best in the NFL.

While the Bucs’ opening series stalled after a run the Steelers cut short and two incomplete passes by Brady, resulting in a punt, Pickett led the Steelers offense down the field and earned his first NFL passing touchdown.

Operating out of the shotgun, Pickett hooked up with George Pickens, Diontae Johnson, and Chase Claypool before a run by Najee Harris was snuffed. Following an end-around by Claypool, Pickett launched a deep pass as he was being hammered, but it fell incomplete to Pickens. Tampa Bay was penalized for roughing the passer, but that negated the play.

On 1st & 10 at the Buccaneers’ 35-yard line, Harris grabbed a one-yard gain before Johnson’s three-yard run was brought back due to a false start on Kevin Dotson. Then, on 3rd & 11, Pickett was able to use his legs and scramble for a ten-yard gain.

Three plays later, knocking on the door, Pickett drew first blood by finding Harris short left for a six-yard touchdown pass and catch that fired up Steelers fans and gave Pittsburgh a 7-0 lead early after Chris Boswell converted the PAT.

Pickett completed 11-of-18 passes for 67 yards before he took a big hit on a pass attempt in the third quarter that forced his head to bounce on the turf. The hit wasn’t penalized, but Pickett was helped off the field and taken to the locker room with a potential concussion.

By comparison, through four full quarters of play, Brady completed 25-of-40 passes for 243 yards and a short toss to Leonard Fournette late in the fourth quarter.

Brady finished Sunday’s game with a 87.8 rating (full game) to Pickett’s 87.0 before the Steelers rookie was forced out due to injury (a little more than 2.5 quarters).

Mitchell Trubisky finished the game for the Steelers after Pickett was ruled “out.”