After missing their starting quarterback in Week 15, the arrow is pointed up regarding the health of the Pittsburgh Steelers this week.
It might be a little too late, but the Pittsburgh Steelers are finally nearing full strength. After T.J. Watt missed half the season with a pectoral injury and knee surgery, it finally looked like this team was heading in the right direction after the bye, but a second concussion to rookie quarterback, Kenny Pickett, was a setback to Pittsburgh’s health.
Fortunately, things are looking excellent as we begin the week. Following the victory over the Carolina Panthers, head coach Mike Tomlin held his Tuesday press conference in which he expanded on the health of his players.
Tomlin noted some minor injuries to Diontae Johnson (turf toe), Terrell Edmunds (hamstring), and Derek Watt (ankle). However, he assured the media that these injuries aren’t severe and that they will be practicing later in the week. He expects each one of them to be ready to go against the Las Vegas Raiders on Christmas Eve.
The most anticipated injury news, however, has to do with Kenny Pickett. The first-round pick suffered his second concussion in just eight weeks against the Ravens in Week 14, and we weren’t surprised to see him inactive against the Panthers.
The good news is that the Steelers will be getting their QB back on the field just in time for a highly-anticipated primetime matchup on the 50th anniversary of The Immaculate Reception. In his presser, Tomlin confirmed that Pickett’s concussion is likely behind him, and if they had practiced on Tuesday, he would have been a full participant.
We can interpret this as Pickett being a future full-go in practice this week and, barring any setbacks, he will be ready to gsuit up against the Raiders on Christmas Eve.
Steelers must keep the momentum going with Kenny Pickett
While many fans believe that Mitch Trubisky gives this team the best chance to win football games down the stretch, there’s no question that going back to Kenny Pickett is the right choice (assuming he’s healthy and ready to go). Though we obviously don’t want to see another concussion for Pickett, the Steelers need to see what they have in their first-round pick.
Pickett will be aided this week by one of the healthiest offenses in the NFL. While it hasn’t always been pretty, the Steelers are fortunate that they haven’t lost anybody on the offensive side of the ball for more than a few snaps here and there (outside of fourth-rounder, Calvin Austin, who landed on IR before the season).
With some big AFC matchups down the stretch, we want to see Pickett take the next step forward before the end of the 2022 season and give us a boost of confidence heading into the new year. This starts with being healthy and available. I’m excited to watch him back in action this week.