After losing their starting quarterback in Week 15, the arrow is pointing upward regarding the health of the Pittsburgh Steelers this week.
It may be too late, but the Pittsburgh Steelers are finally at full strength. With TJ Watt missing half the season with a chest injury and knee surgery, this team finally seemed to be on track after the bye, but rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett’s second blowout was a setback for Pittsburgh’s health.
Fortunately, things are looking great to start the week. After the win against the Carolina Panthers, head coach Mike Tomlin opened up his press conference on Tuesday about the health of his players.
Tomlin noted minor injuries to Diontae Johnson (hamstring), Terrell Edmunds (hamstring) and Derek Watt (ankle). However, he assured the media that these injuries are not serious and that he will train during the week. Each of them hopes 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 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 have their QB back on the field in time for the highly anticipated primetime game on the 50th anniversary of The Immaculate Reception. In his presser, Tomlin confirmed that Pickett’s concussion is likely behind him, and had he practiced on Tuesday, he would have been a full participant.
We can interpret this as Pickett’s future at practice this week and, barring any setbacks, he will be ready to face the Raiders on Christmas Eve.
The Steelers need to 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). While we 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 assisted 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 anyone on the offensive end 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 games in between, we want to see Pickett take the next step before the 2022 season ends and give us a confidence boost heading into the new year. This starts with being healthy and available. I’m really excited to see him in action again this week.