With Kenny Pickett ruled out of the game Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals with an ankle injury, there’s a real chance that Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback won’t be able to be back in time on a short week as the Steelers have to quickly lick their wounds after losing to the Arizona Cardinals, 24-10, with the New England Patriots awaiting them on Thursday night. Trubisky finished the game 11-for-17 for 117 yards and a touchdown pass to WR Diontae Johnson in garbage time.
Should Pickett not be able to go, the Steelers would have Trubisky or Mason Rudolph available to them to be the team’s starter against New England. For HC Mike Tomlin, there isn’t a debate as to who will start if Pickett is indeed unable to go.
“We’ll roll with Mitch if he can’t play, but I don’t know where any of that is as I sit here today,” Tomlin said to the media on video from the Steelers’ YouTube channel.
Trubisky has been Pickett’s backup ever since the latter took the starting job from him last year in Week Four against the New York Jets, stepping in several times for Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback due to injuries. The results have been a mixed bag as he showed great late-game heroics against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season to notch a big win as well as starting in place of Pickett against the Carolina Panthers last season, getting a much-needed win. However, Trubisky has also had his bad moments, throwing three interceptions against the Baltimore Ravens last season as well as a couple of bad picks against the Jacksonville Jaguars as Pittsburgh sputtered on offense.
Still, Tomlin has stuck by Trubisky as the backup ever since he made the change last season, and he doesn’t appear to be ready to make any change now. The reality is that Trubisky is the one who has received in-game snaps during the regular season. Rudolph hasn’t logged a single snap this season, or even last season for that matter, only getting run during preseason play. Live snaps aren’t everything, but they are a key variable for offensive continuity giving that the unit needs all it can get in that area as the offense still adjusts to the change of no longer having OC Matt Canada behind the play sheet.
If Pickett’s injury is categorized as a high-ankle sprain, there’s likely no chance he suits up on Thursday night. Even if it’s of a lesser severity, holding him out rather than throwing him out there with limited mobility and potentially exposing him to further injury could prompt the Steelers to roll with Trubisky as they are now trying to maintain their position as a Wild-Card seed in the playoffs. The injury report will be key as Pickett undergoes further tests on his ankle, but should he not be able to go, Trubisky will be the one running the show.
