Trubisky started the second drive by passing the needle to sixth-rounder (and Cameron Heyward’s brother) Connor Heyward for 16 yards. The drive stalled on the next set of downs, but not before Trubisky showed off his mobility, escaping a sure sack for a square scamper. Rudolph took over on Pittsburgh’s third offensive possession deep in Seattle territory. He was blindsided by Seahawks second-round pick Boye Mafe on his first snap, but recovered his own fumble and rebounded two plays later with a pinpoint 26-yard pass in the corner of the end zone to the Steelers’ secondary. -round rookie, WR George Pickens. Rudolph’s next three drives started on less random ground — starting at the Steelers’ 20-yard line on average — and resulted in just three points. Rudolph looked confident in the pocket, which is to be expected after three years in the system. He finished the first half with a decent 9-of-15 passing for 93 yards and a score, but he also had a botched pick that dropped right into the chest of defensive back Josh Jones and did little to close it. the gap behind Trubisky or to be protected by Pickett on the depth chart. When Pickett, the lone quarterback taken in this year’s first round, took over in the third quarter, it was clear from the crowd reaction that he played his college ball right across the board. After the standing ovation, Pickett completed an easy play-action rollout to Jace Sternberger to earn both his first down and first down. He would go on to complete all six of his pass attempts on the first drive, including a 3-yard touchdown pass to rookie RB Jaylen Warren for six and a two-point conversion to Heyward. The Steelers adapted a grind-it-out style after that, but Pickett didn’t record another layup until his 11th attempt, a deep shot to the sideline of Christian Blake with minutes left in the fourth quarter. Pickett saved his most impressive move for last. After a hard blindside hit separated Seahawks QB Drew Lock from the ball with 70 seconds left, the rookie took over at Seattle’s 43-yard line with the game tied, 25-25. Pickett showed awareness of both the clock and the score by prioritizing ball security — twice scrambling for a total of 12 yards — and eventually iced the game with a 24-yard TD pass. “He moved his team. He was playing situational football,” Tomlin said of Pickett’s game-winning drive. “He showed a competitive spirit. A lot of good things to build on from a first performance standpoint.” At the end of the day, Trubisky held serve. It did as well as expected in just two runs of work. But it’s clear who the fans want on the field. The crowd was in rare form for the second half of a preseason game, filling Acrisure Stadium with chants of “Kenny” for a third-string rookie making his pro debut.
