As of this moment, QB Kenny Pickett is on track to start Sunday’s pivotal game against the Baltimore Ravens. While he won’t receive an official game status until Friday, Pickett told reporters Wednesday he’s confident he’s going to play. After suffering a bone bruise in his left knee during last week’s loss to the Houston Texans, he’s unlikely to be feeling 100 percent. But OC Matt Canada says the team’s game plan won’t need to be altered.
Speaking to the media Thursday, Canada said Pickett’s injury won’t impact how the team prepares.
“Nothing’s changed with Kenny’s preparation,” Canada told reporters via Amanda Godsey of Tribune-Democrat Sports. “He feels good about where he’s at.”
Pickett was officially limited on yesterday’s injury report. That means he practiced but participated in less than his usual complement of snaps. It’s a bit of a gray area but we know he at least went through individual sessions, while wearing a brace, and appeared to participate in at least some level of team-period activities.
During his Tuesday press conference, Mike Tomlin said the team would use Wednesday’s practice session to gauge practice reps for Thursday and Friday. Pickett’s ability to play would come down to whether he could be mobile and if he had quality reps in practice.
Pickett himself said he took the amount of reps that he needed yesterday, and if those reps climb throughout the week, the expectation is that Pickett will start against the Ravens.
If he doesn’t go, the team will turn to QB Mitch Trubisky, who replaced Pickett after the latter exited the loss against the Texans. Trubisky has experience running Canada’s offense, starting five games last season, and he went 3-of-5 for 18 yards, all with the game out of reach, after replacing Pickett last week.
If Pickett thinks he’s ready to play and the doctors agree, he’ll be out there on Sunday. He’s lucky he didn’t avoid a more serious injury, and the fact he could return this week is obviously positive news for Pittsburgh. The fact he’s continuing to prepare the same amount and get ready to go as he would in a normal week points to him being ready for Sunday, and we should get more clarity on his continuing practice participation over the next two days.
Sunday is a critical matchup for the Steelers, who would sit atop the AFC North with a victory. Having their starting quarterback on the field will go a long way toward the Steelers potentially grabbing a win over their division rivals.
Watch Canada’s full press conference below.
