After a terrible 30-6 loss to the Houston Texans Sunday afternoon, the Pittsburgh Steelers are also dealing with a long list of key injuries. Speaking to reporters after the game, head coach Mike Tomlin said QB Kenny Pickett is being evaluated for a knee injury. He did not specify the nature of the injury.
Also being evaluated for injuries after this game are OT Dan Moore Jr. (knee), TE Pat Freiermuth (hamstring), and DE DeMarvin Leal (head).
“Dan Moore’s got a knee,” Tomlin said via Steelers.com. “Needs to be evaluated. Pat Freiermuth’s got a hamstring. Kenny, same thing. Got a knee that needs to be evaluated. I don’t know what the status of Leal is. He’s being evaluated as we speak. Those are the four guys that went down end game that did not come back.”
Moore was injured first and replaced by rookie OT Broderick Jones, who played the bulk of the snaps of the game. Freiermuth suffered the injury later in the game and was quickly ruled out. Leal was injured later in the game. Pickett was injured on a fourth-and-1 play late in the third quarter. He was quickly ruled out by the team.
Pickett was replaced by Mitch Trubisky, who finished the day 3-of-5 for 18 yards. If Pickett is unable to play in next Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens, Trubisky will start. Speaking to reporters, Tomlin said he is confident in Trubisky if the team must turn to him.
Rookie TE Darnell Washington caught his first career pass in replacing Freiermuth. It went for a first down. Leal’s injury could hurt depth even as the Steelers try to deal with the loss of DL Cam Heyward, injured in Week One. Houston ran for 137 yards in this game.
