Kenny Pickett’s injury on Sunday casts doubt on his status for Thursday Night Football and for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season. The second-year quarterback had his team at a surprising 4-3 second place finish in the AFC North. They were a contending team, but that could change if Pickett is completely unavailable. Here’s what we know.
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Kenny Pickett injury update
Kenny Pickett has a rib injury and is considered day-to-day. The Steelers QB is dealing with what is currently diagnosed as a rib contusion. His status for the next match is really uncertain.
Dr. Jesse Morse on X, formerly known as Twitter, described his status. With the bruised rib, there’s a good chance he won’t be ready in a short week. The starting quarterback couldn’t finish last week’s loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The short week certainly doesn’t help Pickett’s case. Four days after sustaining the injury, he is expected to turn around and play. It’s hard enough to come back in a week, but Thursday Night Football doesn’t allow time to properly heal.
If he wasn’t able to finish the game last week, then the bruise is probably significant or at least very painful. They haven’t made any hints for the game yet, but none of that bodes well for Pickett’s chances of playing against the Tennessee Titans this week.
What happened to Kenny Pickett?
Kenny Pickett suffered a blow to the ribs during Sunday’s action. After a pass attempt, a slightly late pass rusher came in and hit him, wrapped him up and drove him to the turf. It wasn’t a penalty, but it looks like it caused the rib bruise.
Pickett had to be removed from the match and was ultimately ruled out with the ribs. He didn’t return and Mitchell Trubisky was put in his place. If he can’t make it this week, Trubisky is expected to start Thursday.
When will Kenny Pickett return?
Given the short turnaround time, a start for Kenny Pickett seems like a bit of a gamble at this point. There isn’t much confidence that he can play without getting injured and potentially risking an even more serious injury.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said via Yahoo! Sport:
“I think the door is definitely ajar for Kenny. Probably a game-tying decision based on the information I have here today, with no structural damage to his ribs.”
He also said:
“And so we see how we get through the week, his ability to throw, his level of comfort, his ability to be effective, etc., and let that be our guide in determining his availability.”
That makes it unlikely he will see the field against the Titans. The Steelers will then have an extra-long rest before taking on the Green Bay Packers, which certainly seems like a likely return date for Pickett.
It doesn’t appear this injury will cost him several weeks, so expect a return on November 12 if he can’t perform on Thursday.