It was an ugly showing Sunday afternoon for Steelers rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett in his first NFL start. His day was spoiled by both the 38–3 loss to the Bills and a scrum started after a hit that the first-year player criticized.
Late in the fourth quarter, Pickett scrambled to his right while under pressure. He was able to throw the ball away, but Buffalo defensive end Shaq Lawson appeared to tackle Pickett late and low, and the quarterback thought it was a dirty hit. After the play, Pickett shoved Lawson to the ground and a scrum ensued.
Pickett was assessed a penalty for unnecessary roughness while Bills defensive end AJ Epenesa, who jumped into the scrum, also was flagged for unnecessary roughness and ejected. After the game, Pickett explained why he was so fired up.
“From my opinion, it felt like he went after my knee after I threw it,” he said. “And that’s it. You know, tempers flare. I don’t care. I’m going to keep playing until the last play of the game, and that was it.”
Pickett finished the game with 34 completions in 52 attempts for 327 passing yards with one interception. Lawson recorded one sack.
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