The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered a brutal loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 13 at Acrisure Stadium. A 24-10 defeat at the hands of a team that entered the game 2-10 is certainly not ideal, especially when you are fighting for a Wild Card spot as the Steelers are.
As if losing the game was not bad enough, Pittsburgh also lost starting quarterback Kenny Pickett to an ankle injury. Pickett was hurt while scrambling toward the end zone, injuring what was an already sore ankle from Week 12 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The team is prepared to turn things over to Mitchell Trubisky, as Pickett will miss a few weeks. There was some hope that he would be sidelined for only two games, but from the sounds of it, people within the Steelers’ organization are bracing for the worst, which was a four-week timetable.
NFL News & Rumors: Kenny Pickett, Mitchell Trubisky, Pittsburgh Steelers Updates
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler shared the less than optimistic outlook. “The sense out of Pittsburgh is quarterback Kenny Pickett could end up missing four weeks with that right ankle injury. I’ve talked to people who are at least bracing for that possibility,” he wrote.
That would certainly been a less-than-ideal turn of events for the Steelers. Trubisky is one of the better backup quarterbacks in the NFL, as he has a winning record in his career, but based on comments made by running back Najee Harris, the locker room may not be thrilled about him taking over the offense.
If there is any silver lining to losing your starting quarterback, if Pickett only misses two games, the Steelers have winnable games on their schedule. Trubisky should be able to handle a 2-10 New England Patriots team traveling to play on Thursday Night Football before going on the road to face the Indianapolis Colts in Week 15.
NFL News & Rumors: Kenny Pickett, Mitchell Trubisky, Pittsburgh Steelers Updates
Ideally, Pickett would be back in the lineup by Week 16, a huge matchup against the Bengals. In Week 17, the Steelers head on the road to face the Seattle Seahawks before ending their season on the road against the Baltimore Ravens.
If Pickett misses the full four weeks as Fowler hinted at people bracing for, the team’s playoff hopes take a massive hit. Trubisky has to get through however many games he plays with a .500 record, keeping the team afloat for a season they hope ends with at least a Wild Card spot.
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