EXCLUSIVE: "He's going to be a Steeler for a long time" - Mike Smith backs Kenny Pickett to replace Ben Roethlisberger as face of Pittsburgh football

Rookie Kenny Pickett had the highlight moment of his career in front of an emotional crowd at Acrisure Stadium on Christmas Eve.

The quarterback led the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 13-10 win over the Las Vegas Raiders to keep their playoff hopes alive. Pickett showcased veteran poise during the game-winning drive and capped it off with a terrific touchdown pass.

Kenny with the game winning touchdown pass to Pickens for Franco 🖤 💛 #steelers #HereWeGo #FrancoHarris #kennypickett #pitt #georgepickens #Pittsburgh #nfl https://t.co/FZNLb7XLiM

The Steelers retired the late Franco Harris' jersey at halftime and then blanked the Raiders 10-0 in the second half to improve to 7-8 and keep their playoff hopes alive.

Former Atlanta Falcons head coach Mike Smith was impressed by Kenny Pickett's performance last Saturday. On the latest episode of Sportskeeda's "BallFather" podcast, he lauded the quarterback, saying:

"This is a quarterback-driven league. And there are occasionally a few teams that can win with multiple quarterbacks.

"But you've got to have a quarterback 99% of the time if you're going to be successful, and when you lose one like Ben Roethlisberger, it's going to take some time to get the new player, the new quarterback and whoever it is indoctrinated into the system. And Pickett has done a great job.

"He's come, you know, he's come along the last five games."

Smith also claimed that Pickett has the makings of a franchise quarterback:

"He looks like he's gonna be a Pittsburgh Steeler for a long time. You know, I'm sure earlier in the season there was talking about whether is he a bust. Too early to talk about those things, but people do, but it looks like he's doing a great job, you know.

"He's come along and done a great job in this winning streak that's got them still in the conversation of being a team that's going to play in the playoffs."

After a tough start to his NFL career, Kenny Pickett has grown in stature and has played a crucial role in the Steelers' five-game winning streak.

Can Kenny Pickett and the Steelers make it to playoffs?

Kenny Pickett and the Steelers are 7-8 and are battling the 8-7 Miami Dolphins, 7-8 New York Jets, and 7-8 New England Patriots for the final wildcard spot. Pittsburgh needs to win both its games to stand a chance of making it to the playoffs.

They also need the Dolphins to lose their remaining two games and the Jets and Patriots to lose at least one. It's an uphill battle, and the odds don't favor the Steelers. However, head coach Mike Tomlin and his team will only focus on winning their remaining two games and finishing the season over .500.

The latest episode of the BallFather podcast will be out soon. If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Sportskeeda.