Pittsburgh Steelers QB Kenny Pickett calls out low hit after loss

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Searching for somewhere to throw the ball late in the fourth quarter during Sunday's 38-3 loss, Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett scrambled toward the sideline at Highmark Stadium with Buffalo Bills defender Shaq Lawson hot in pursuit.

As the rookie quarterback got rid of the ball, Lawson dove low, tackling Pickett below his waist to bring him to the ground. Pickett took exception to the hit and shoved the defensive end as he picked himself up off the turf.

Pickett didn't stop there, and he briefly continued to go after Lawson until left tackle Chukwuma Okorafor and the rest of the Steelers' offensive linemen stepped in to break up the scuffle.

«From my opinion, I felt like he went after my knee after I threw it,» Pickett said. «That's it. You know, tempers flare. I don't care, I'm gonna keep playing to the last play of the game. That was it. All good with me.»

Pickett was assessed a penalty for unnecessary roughness, while Bills defensive end A.J. Epenesa, who jumped in the scrum after it started, was also flagged for unnecessary roughness and was ejected. Lawson left the game soon after and shouted back toward the field as he walked to the locker room. He declined to talk about the hit postgame.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin supported his quarterback's response calling it «appropriate.»

It wasn't the first time Pickett took extra contact in the Steelers' blowout loss. Pickett, who completed 34 of 52 attempts for 327 yards with one interception in his first career start, was also hit by Buffalo defensive back Damar Hamlin as he went into a slide in the third quarter. Hamlin came in as Pickett was already going down into his slide, and Steelers offensive lineman James Daniels jumped to Pickett's