National Football League

Effective run game key to Steelers QB Kenny Pickett’s progress

Updated Nov. 29, 2022 4:20 p.m. ET

The Steelers won't excite you offensively.

Sure, they have second-round rookie receiver George Pickens, who has a "wow" moment basically every week. Diontae Johnson has been a productive wideout, too. But Pittsburgh doesn't have a dynamic offense like the Chiefs. Or an explosive one like the Bills. Or even a fast one like the Dolphins. Entering Week 12, the Steelers had the 27th-ranked offense and sat 31st in yards per play. They didn't have a touchdown longer than eight yards until last week.

But with a rookie quarterback in Kenny Pickett still finding his way, Pittsburgh can be competitive offensively with an effective run game.

That's what we saw in primetime.

A dominant ground attack, which produced 172 rushing yards, helped the Steelers (4-7) beat the Colts (4-7-1) by a score of 24-17 on Monday Night Football at Lucas Oil Stadium. It was Pittsburgh's second-highest rushing total of the season. The highest was 217 rushing yards in Week 10 against the Saints, also a victory.

When the Steelers' run game is humming, it's not just The Najee Harris Show either. It's a committee approach, which includes Pickett using his legs. And that's what we saw in Indianapolis.

Harris (10 carries, 35 yards, TD) was limited, as he was ruled out early in the third quarter with an abdominal injury. But backup Benny Snell Jr., who had played just three offensive snaps this season entering Monday, stepped up, posting a season-high 62 rushing yards and a touchdown on 12 carries (5.2 yards per carry). His two-yard score in the fourth quarter to put Pittsburgh up 24-17 turned out to be the game-winning touchdown.

Pickett had six carries for 32 yards (5.3 yards/carry), his third-highest rushing total of the season. Running back Anthony McFarland Jr., elevated from the practice squad for the game, added six rushes for 30 yards (5 yards/carry).

In all, six different Steelers had at least one run play.

"Sometimes you get battlefield promoted," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "A guy like Benny Snell became a central part of what we were doing offensively, and he was still on the punt team, he was still on punt return, he was still on kickoff. And Mac [Anthony McFarland Jr.] is a guy that's always waiting and working for his opportunity. He did some things that we saw in team development in the preseason that make him a little bit different than some of the other backs, things he's able to do in space, the screen game, draw game. I just thought he was an asset to us."

But it's not solely about the run game (or defense) taking pressure off Pickett. It's about Pickens, too.

The former Georgia star continues to ascend, showing that he and Pickett could be a strong QB-WR pairing in the years to come. There was Pickens' 35-yard grab near the sideline, facing tight coverage from Colts cornerback Brandon Facyson, on a back-shoulder throw. And there was his successful two-point conversion attempt in the back corner of the end zone, which he celebrated with Christiano Ronaldo's signature Siu celebration.

Pickens had a team-leading 57 receiving yards on three receptions.

"He's an unbelievable player," Pickett said.

Pickens certainly helped, but he wasn't the only reason for one of the QB's best games of his early career. It was Pickett's own poise and growth in the Steelers' offense. He showed great decision-making, was accurate in the short and intermediate passing game, and used his legs when he needed to. The rookie quarterback completed eight consecutive passes at one point.

While he was sacked three times and had just 174 passing yards, Pickett completed 71.4% of his passes (20-of-28). Sunday marked his first-career fourth quarter comeback.

"He's getting better every week and it's in a very natural way, because of experience," Tomlin said. "He's a competitor. He's smart. Still a lot of meat on the bone, and it's just a process. But like I always say, he's good enough and we're good enough to win while that happens. So, we're not grading him or us on a curve. We acknowledge that he's very much in development. You can ask me next week and I'll tell you he got better in all areas again next week, because with each snap becomes exposure, and the sharp guys, guys that are competitors, they grow from those things."

Even with Monday's win, the Steelers' chances of squeaking into the playoffs are infinitesimal. They have just a 2% chance of making the postseason, according to FiveThirtyEight. But this season has always been viewed as a step back in the short term for Pittsburgh, even with stars T.J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick leading the defense. Pickett would need time to develop — he didn't begin starting until Week 5 — to become Ben Roethlisberger's potential long-term successor.

There is, though, a recipe for Steelers' success with a growing Pickett in the present.

It starts with the run game.

"Listen, we lean on those guys," Pickett said of the offensive-line play in the run game. "We go the way those guys go. Our backs did a phenomenal job, the tight ends in the run game. There is a lot that goes into it, but that group we have up front, man, we're pretty tight. They're real tight together. They have great continuity. It's great to see from early in the season what people were saying to now and how great those guys are playing.

"Incredibly proud to be their quarterback and play with them."

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Ben Arthur is the AFC South reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.