October 30, 2022

Eagles' defense feasts on rookie Kenny Pickett, Steelers' o-line

Pickett, thrown into the fire as the starter for the struggling Steelers, was sacked six times

By Nick Tricome
PhillyVoice Staff

In a season rapidly heading towards "lost" territory for Pittsburgh, rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett was thrown right into the fire when he was named the starter several weeks ago.

Against the undefeated Eagles, the Steelers and the 24-year-old out of Pitt were always facing a steep uphill battle, and unsurprisingly, Sunday proved to be too steep.

Javon Hargrave (twice), Haason Reddick, Milton Williams, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, and Marlon Tuipulotu were all there to meet this year's 20th overall pick in the backfield as he was sacked six times, and the Eagles, in a dominant effort on both sides of the ball, had little issue against Pittsburgh in a 35-13 win that improved them to a still-perfect 7-0 for the first time since 2004.

The Eagles' defense held the Steelers to just 300 yards of total offense and 156 net yards through the air. Pickett went 25/38 passing for 191 yards but fell under constant pressure and lost 40 yards on his sacks.

There were some flashes – Pittsburgh did score on a 13-play, 75-yard drive that tied it 7-7 in the first, though it required a defensive delay of game call and Chase Claypool to throw on a trick play – but nothing sustainable. The Steelers could only manage two field goals after their initial touchdown, leaving their defense to go back out and have to deal with Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown.

With the Steelers facing a 3rd and 9 from their own 26 on the game's opening drive, Reddick shifted to his left past two blockers and straight through the line. He knocked Pickett, who had no time to escape and may have never even seen what happened, straight to the ground, forcing a three and out and leading Jim Nantz to exclaim "OH, WHAT A HIT!" on the CBS broadcast.

Haason Reddick steamrolls Kenny Pickett! pic.twitter.com/G1axoZbOYC
— Brodes Media (@BrodesMedia) October 30, 2022

Hey, rookie, welcome to the NFL.

Hargrave, facing his former team, shed his blocker and caught Pickett from the blindside for a loss of 11 on the final play of the first half.

Javon Hargrave with a sack to end the first half! pic.twitter.com/FiLF5sgpTN
— Brodes Media (@BrodesMedia) October 30, 2022

Then, to begin the fourth quarter, Hargrave did the same thing, but this time swatting the ball loose as Pickett tried to scramble away for the strip sack. The Eagles recovered then needed just two plays – a 43-yard catch and run from Brown and an 11-yard scoring rush from Miles Sanders – to go up 22 and put the nail in the Steelers' coffin.

Hargrave strip sack and Avonte Maddox recovers! pic.twitter.com/jN4xTMPGuQ
— Brodes Media (@BrodesMedia) October 30, 2022

Gardner-Johnson, who also came up with the game's lone interception late in the fourth, blitzed Pickett from up high with no chance to escape. And Williams, who has so far had a relatively quiet 2022 compared to his rookie season, sacked Pickett on third down late in the second, which forced Pittsburgh to kick a field goal instead before the half.

With the starters pulled late, Tuipulotu, a reserve defensive tackle, caught the rookie QB one more time for a loss of six.

Since the nine-sack field day against Carson Wentz and the Commanders back in Week 3, the Eagles' defensive front hasn't gotten to opposing quarterbacks with anywhere near that level of pressure. In the three games that followed – against Jacksonville, Arizona, and Dallas – the defense had just three sacks for a combined loss of 24 yards.

Coming off the bye, albeit against a struggling offense, the Eagles looked much more aggressive in collapsing the pocket. Pickett and the Steelers' offensive line were just overmatched.

The hope now is that the momentum carries over on short rest into Houston on Thursday night, against another struggling Texans team.

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