Some slightly good news for Steelers fans after yesterday’s debacle against the Houston Texans. QB Kenny Pickett, who suffered a knee injury in the third quarter and was ruled out for the remainder of the game, will “be fine” and his injury is “not serious” per Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
While the injury isn’t serious, there’s still a chance Pickett misses time. With the team holding a Week Six bye, Pickett could miss the Week Five contest over the Baltimore Ravens and get back to full health (or closer to it) for the team’s Week Seven matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. But it doesn’t sound as if the injury will keep him out longer, which is obviously a great sign for the Steelers.
While Pickett has struggled to start the year, there have been some good moments as well, and having him under center is what’s best for the current and long-term future of the team. It sounds like there’s a chance he’ll play this weekend as well, which is a positive. For what it’s worth, as of this morning, before Pickett’s MRI results came in, NFL insider Ian Rapoport said Pickett was expected to miss time.
If he does miss time, QB Mitch Trubisky, who replaced Pickett yesterday, would likely take over as Pittsburgh’s starter. He threw three interceptions against Baltimore in Week 14 last season after he replaced Pickett, who suffered a concussion early in the game.
So far this season, Pickett has thrown for 803 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions with a 60.6% completion percentage. With the Steelers sitting at 2-2 and in second place in the AFC North, getting their starting quarterback healthy and ready to go for the rest of the season is important, and it sounds as if Pickett and the Steelers avoided anything serious with his left knee getting rolled up on yesterday.
