Late in the first half of the 20-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday at Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett went down hard on a hit from Jaguars defensive lineman Adam Gotsis, resulting in the second-year man exiting the loss with a rib injury.
Though he tried to warm up to start the second half, Pickett was unable to give it a go and was quickly ruled out with the rib injury. That decision presumably put his availability for the Week Nine Thursday Night Football matchup against the Tennessee Titans at Acrisure Stadium in question.
Late Sunday night, ESPN Insider Adam Schefter all but confirmed that, reporting that Pickett’s availability for Thursday night against the Titans is “up in the air” as the Steelers wait to see how he’s feeling Monday.
A short turnaround for the Steelers is a tough one entering Week Nine, though it’s an advantage that they are at home. But due to the nature of Pickett’s injury with his ribs, and just a few days to prepare for Tennessee, it’s hard to envision the second-year quarterback being in the lineup on Thursday night against the Titans on Amazon.
Pickett was just 10-of-16 for 73 yards in the first half against the Jaguars. Wide receiver Diontae Johnson dropped what should have been an explosive play on the first play of the game, before Pickett then threw late to George Pickens a few drives later as the offense really struggled to get going. Pickett later missed Johnson wide open in the end zone, throwing behind him, encapsulating the offensive struggles at home on a day in which rain played a factor.
Without Pickett, backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky led a scoring drive, hitting Pickens for a 22-yard touchdown on a slant route, but the veteran backup threw a critical interception in a one-score game when the Steelers seemingly had momentum on their side. With a short week, it’s likely that the Steelers prepare Trubisky as the starter, though that could all change on Monday depending on how Pickett is feeling.
We’ll see what head coach Mike Tomlin has to say Monday during his press conference regarding Pickett’s availability.
For what it’s worth, this is the second time this season Pickett has been knocked from a game due to injury. He was injured in Week Four on the road against the Houston Texans, leading to Trubisky seeing playing time late in that 30-6 loss. Last week against the Los Angeles Rams on the road, Pickett took a big shot to the ribs from a Rams defensive back on a blitz. That caused him to be slow getting up, though he didn’t miss any time.
Pickett also had to leave a pair of games early as a rookie, exiting Week Six against Tampa Bay with a concussion and Week 14 against the Baltimore Ravens at home with a concussion, leading to Trubisky taking over both times. Pickett then missed the Week 15 matchup with the Carolina Panthers last season, a game in which Trubisky helped lead the Steelers to a 24-16 win on the road.
Should Pickett miss Week Nine against the Titans on Thursday Night Football, we’ll see if Trubisky can reproduce that backup magic, albeit on a short week.
