Steelers-20, Titans-16
Q. Kenny, Diontae down the sideline, what did you see, and how did that play? Was that a call from the huddle, or did that change?
KENNY PICKETT: No, that was a call from the huddle. Had Tae on the go one-on-one. I wanted to give him an opportunity a big third down for us to get down there in the red zone and eventually score. So it was a good play for us.
Q. What was it like having Matt on the sidelines? Did it help at all?
KENNY PICKETT: We communicate really well with the headset. No one else really gets a chance to do that with him.
So I think him being able to go over to each position group and kind of get on the same page with them and let them know what we're thinking going into each drive, I think it definitely was a positive.
Q. How did that come about? Did you request that?
KENNY PICKETT: No, I didn't. I just came to work, and I was told that.
Q. Any affects on your play from the injury?
KENNY PICKETT: No, no, I felt good. Shout out to our trainers. Gabe leading the way helping me get ready to go and Sonja and Dino. You know, a short week. Did a great job of helping me get ready, and I felt good.
Q. What changed about the offensive line from this week to last week that allowed you guys to get going on the ground?
KENNY PICKETT: I haven't seen it. I can't answer that question. I know that they did a great job protecting run game, backs hitting the hole really hard and running downhill and getting North-South, which was great to see. Getting guys in the end zone, having explosive runs. So it was a good day for the guys up front.
Q. What is it about you and this offense that you guys seem to be comfortable in uncomfortable situations?
KENNY PICKETT: I think we all have faith in each other. We have trust, and we all care for one another.
There's no one in there that has any doubt when it comes down to those fourth quarters that we're going to be able to put a drive together and go down there and score.
Right now we're just searching for that consistency all game. You know, we're one or two plays here or there where I felt like we would have more points on the board and we wouldn't have been sweating it out at the end. So we have to continue to work at that.
Q. Getting that touchdown to Diontae, he hasn't had one in quite a while. Just what was it when you saw that play develop, and what's it like to get him in the end zone?
KENNY PICKETT: It was great. It was awesome. Obviously it was a big deal to get him in the end zone. It's been too long for sure.
To see that smile on his face after that was great, and I'm sure it felt like the world was off his back now so he can go relax and play and continue to be the guy that he is for us. He had an unbelievable game.
Q. What's the significance of that opening drive for you guys to finally --
KENNY PICKETT: It was big. It was big. We did what we were searching to do that all year with that opening drive going down there and score.
I thought the balance was great. I thought we had great balance all night. The run game working off the pass, vice versa, getting guys in some really good situations on the outside that helped open up the run. So it was good having that balance.
Q. What can you say about how the running backs kind of played off each other tonight and their ability to --
KENNY PICKETT: Yeah, I think having two backs that are fresh in there, it's a huge difference. I think you see it.
Both elite type backs that when they get going and they start hitting those holes North-South, they're really tough to bring down. They both run really hard. Great speed-to-power with both of them.
Can't say enough. What they do in the pass game as well, it's underappreciated, what 22 and 30 do when they get the ball in the flat or they have space.
If I'm ever in trouble or if I don't see the coverage clearly, checking it down to those guys and letting them go down do their thing is big for us.
Q. Do you feel like the game you're closer to being the offense you want to be?
KENNY PICKETT: Absolutely. It's a couple of plays here and there. Once we hit those and continue that consistency that we're searching for, I think the point total will be up where we want it to be.
Q. To get all but one drive was either a scoring drive or a three-and-out. Is there something about once you start to get going, you guys get a little bit better as an offense?
KENNY PICKETT: Rhythm is a huge thing, and you're always searching for that first first down when you get out there, so guys get in rhythm and they're feeling good.
The guys set their pads up front. We're getting rhythm in the passing game. So it's all about that when you are talking offensive football.
Q. To the run game plan, it looked like maybe you were running shock a little more, maybe a little bit more of the later personnel groupings. Anything like that?
KENNY PICKETT: That's all based off of what we see throughout the week scouting, and Coach Meyer does a great job of putting the plan together and getting with him and Coach Canada and what we want to do and what we're looking for in the run game.
A huge shout-out to those guys up front. Like I've been saying, we go as they go. Seeing those guys play like that as a quarterback, as running backs, receivers, we all feed off of that, and it was awesome to see.
Q. What do you have to do to get George more involved in the offense? It seemed like he only had two catches for negative one yards.
KENNY PICKETT: Continue to move him around. He is going to get doubled a lot, and that's why you see Diontae get singled up, and Diontae is doing a great job on the other side.
Credit to him. He takes two guys. The run game is opening up because of him. There's a lot of things that he's not getting credit for right now in the stat sheet, but he's helping us win football games. He's helping us have a lot of successful plays.
So you definitely want to reward him. I wish we hit that one in the red zone on the fade, on the slot fade. Continuing to try to get him the football as many ways as we can, but definitely want to appreciate him for what he does to the defenses. That opens up everything else.
Q. Roger Jones tonight?
KENNY PICKETT: Awesome to see him in there. The guy brings a lot of energy. It's awesome to see. He brings a great attitude every day to work practice.
He texted me Sunday and was just like, Are you going it this week?
I was like, Absolutely.
He is, like, All right, I'll see you there.
It was good to have him in there. I told him he's going to make mistakes, but just keep playing the next play. It was awesome to have him in there.
Q. You got to the bye 3-2 with two division wins in your back pockets. Came out of the bye. Same sort of thing. You've had some hurdles, but you are keeping your heads above water. To your previous point about what you think the offense can be, does it at least give you some encouragement that you can look around and say we'll run with the division right now, we're still on pace?
KENNY PICKETT: There's always positives you have to take. The outside noise of everybody that harps on the negatives, you can't get caught up in that.
There's a lot of great things that we're doing, and we're close. We're close to getting to where we want to get to. So we have to have that singular focus and continue to show up, and we will get there.
Q. You guys are in so many tight games so often, and you are having success. Do you think that gives you an advantage?
KENNY PICKETT: I think knowing how to win down the stretch is. I think you look around the NFL, it's a lot of one-possession games around the league when you look at the slate every weekend.
The margin for error is so small at this level between winning and losing, and the fact that we continue to find ways to win I think is a huge advantage to us.
Like I said, no one panics down the stretch. We all are confident in each other, and we go out there and play hard. It's good to see.
Q. You come off the field. You have Matt and Mike, two quarterbacks. What do you bounce off of? Do you look at the previous drive, the upcoming drive? Can you take us through --
KENNY PICKETT: Yeah, it's previous. You go through the pictures quick. What I saw, what they saw. What we think is there coming up for the next drive. What we're looking to accomplish in the next drive with the starters and what we're looking to do.
There's a lot that goes into it, but it's just constant communication between Coach Canada, Coach Sully, and the other quarterbacks do a great job with me, Mitch and Mason.
Huge shout-out it those guys and what they mean to me this season, and good friends of mine. It's a group effort that we all kind of bounce ideas off each other and then get ready to go for the next series.
Q. Was that Glenn Thomas that was in the box then, and can you communicate with him still?
KENNY PICKETT: Yeah, he sends it down to Coach Canada. He'll let me know if there's something urgent that I need to hear from the box. But, yeah, the communication was pretty smooth tonight.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports