On a fourth-down playcall, the Pittsburgh Steelers needed a yard. Rather than calling a quarterback sneak or creative run play, Matt Canada opted for the shotgun formation. The play broke down rather quickly, as it has all day long for Pickett and Pittsburgh, and the young quarterback was sacked when the Steelers could not afford any loss of yardage.
Pickett clutched his knee on the ground after the play, and it's unclear when he will return. The Steelers backup quarterback is Mitch Trubisky, if called upon. Mason Rudolph should be the emergency QB in case something were to happen with Trubisky.
A bad offensive season for Canada and Co. has continued on Sunday against the Texans. With Pickett out, they will be tested even further.
Kenny Pickett injury update: How long will Steelers QB be out?
For now, it's unclear if Pickett will return to the game immediately. Canada's play call, which forced Pickett out of the pocket to his left, did not do him any favors. Trubisky is a veteran backup and has starting experience, so there are worse positions for Pittsburgh to be in. Behind Trubisky, Pittsburgh still has Mason Rudolph as its third-string quarterback.
Kenny Pickett injury history
Pickett doesn't have an extensive injury history, and certainly not much involving his knee, thankfully. We can only hope that the second-year player out of Pittsburgh doesn't have to add Sunday's incident to this list.
Steelers depth chart: Who is the Steelers backup QB?
Mitch Trubisky, formerly of the Chicago Bears and then Buffalo Bills, has plenty of starting experience and should receive playing time if Pickett is forced out of action. Trubisky started the 2022 season for the Steelers before he was eventually replaced by the first-round pick in Pickett. Rather than trade the former first rounder this offseason, Pittsburgh opted to keep Trubisky just in case of a moment like this.
