Oct. 2 - Update (6 p.m. ET): Adam Schefter of ESPN revealed that Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Picket is "not expected to miss much if any time" following his knee injury and the results of his MRI.
Steelers’ QB Kenny Pickett is not expected to miss much if any time due to the knee injury that forced him to leave Sunday’s game, per sources. Pickett could try to push this week vs. Baltimore but the team also knows it has a bye the next week and could opt to rest him.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 2, 2023
According to this report, there is a chance Pittsburgh risk starting the second-year quarterback next Sunday against he Ravens.
That being said, the Steelers have a bye week after this weekend, so it's fair to assume they won't gamble and put Pickett in danger of suffering any setback in the game against Baltimore, giving him nearly three weeks of rest by sitting him next Sunday.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett suffered a knee injury in Sunday's loss against the Houston Texans.
The injury happened in the fourth quarter when Pickett had completed 15-of-23 passes for 114 yards and no touchdowns against one interception. Pickett immediately left the field and was ruled out for the remainder of the game after that.
Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reported on Monday morning that Pickett will miss some time, although the initial testing "didn't point to an ACL injury" and the team hopes it will "only be a brief absence."
Initial testing on Kenny Pickett yesterday didn’t point to an ACL injury, sources say, so the hope for the #Steelers QB is it’ll only be a brief absence. They have the #Ravens Sunday and then a bye. https://t.co/NVobNSI5JR
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) October 2, 2023
As Garofolo pointed out, the Steelers only have one game left in their schedules before their Bye week in Week 6.
Considering the expectations and hopes for that "brief" absence, the logical move here is to rule Pickett out for the Week 5 divisional matchup against Baltimore so he can have nearly three weeks to recover from his injury.
Pickett has started 15 games between last and this season, appearing in 16 total matchups throughout his two-year career to date. The quarterback has not been given a timeline for his return, which points toward the sophomore missing Week 5.
On Sunday, the Steelers turned to veteran backup Mitchell Trubisky, the QB2 in their depth charts, to finish the game against the Texans. Trubisky completed 3-of-5 passes for 18 yards after Pickett left the game.
Right after the game, Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin said he wasn't sure of how bad Pickett's injury was, although the latest reports are relatively positive for the second-year passer as he's avoided an ACL tear.
The Baltimore Ravens (3-1) ar expected to face Mitch Trubisky next Sunday in their second divisional matchup on the road, this time in Pittsburgh. Trubisky extended his contract this offseason with the Steelers after spending the 2022 season with the team.
Next weekend might mark the third consecutive Sunday the Ravens have gone against a backup quarterback after facing Gardner Minshew (vs. Colts) in Week 3 and Dorian Thompson-Robinson (at Cleveland) in Week 4.
Last year, Trubisky started five games (seven total appearances) with the Steelers completing 117-of-180 passes (65%) for 1,252 yards throwing 4 touchdowns against 5 interceptions.
The veteran also rushed for 38 yards and two touchdowns on 19 rushing attempts without a single fumble.