National media continues to push false Kenny Pickett narrative
The national media has basically revealed this week that they didn't watch the Pittsburgh Steelers' game against the New York Jets in week four. But that isn't stopping them from talking about it. The big story from Pittsburgh's 24-20 loss to the Jets this past Sunday was that rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett made his regular-season […]
The national media has basically revealed this week that they didn't watch the Pittsburgh Steelers' game against the New York Jets in week four.
But that isn't stopping them from talking about it.
The big story from Pittsburgh's 24-20 loss to the Jets this past Sunday was that rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett made his regular-season debut.
Mike Tomlin benched Mitch Trubisky in favor of Pickett because he felt like the Steelers needed a "spark".
Pickett provided that spark and as a result, he's Pittsburgh's starting quarterback moving forward.
As you can imagine, the national media has talked a lot this week about Tomlin's decision to go with Pickett over Trubisky.
And while many have praised the move, it seems like most analysts have decided to harp on the fact that Pickett threw three interceptions in his debut.
Throwing three interceptions obviously isn't ideal. But if you just look at the box score, it doesn't tell the full story of those three interceptions.
ESPN's Kimberley Martin is one of those folks who apparently just looked at the box score.
"He was able to give them a spark against the Jets," said Martin on ESPN on Wednesday morning. "But none of the passes he threw actually hit the ground. You know why? Because some of them went to his own teammates, but then a lot of them went to the other team."
Let's break this down one more time.
Pickett's first interception bounced off Chase Claypool's hands and fell into the arms of a Jets defender. That's not on Pickett.
The second interception is a ball that Pickett probably should've thrown away. But it was also a ball that tight end Pat Freiermuth should've come down with. He got his hands on it, but couldn't make the catch and it careened toward a Jets defender who picked it off.
And then the last interception was a hail mary at the end of the game. Those interceptions never fall on the quarterback. He's just throwing the ball into the end zone hoping for a miracle.
It's easy to look at a box score and take shots at Pickett. But that's incredibly ignorant and the longer the national media pushes this narrative, the more foolish they look.
But then again, I don't think anyone is surprised by that.
Featured image via Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
