The worst happened to pittsburgh steelers injred sooners willnever play again

Steelers in peril as problems finally catch up with them

PITTSBURGH  When Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin met with the media on Monday to kick off a short week, it was good news and bad news.

The medical update on Kenny Pickett indicated that the starting quarterback, who was injured in Sunday’s loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, has a chance to return for a shift against the Tennessee Titans on Thursday night at Acrisure Stadium.

“The door is definitely ajar for Kenny,” Tomlin stated.

Pickett’s status will be determined at the game, according to Tomlin. On Monday, tests revealed that the second-year pro had suffered no structural damage. Throughout the week, he will be assessed for functionality and comfort level.

“He’s a young guy,” Tomlin said. I need to see something from him in terms of physicality.”

NFL STATS CENTRAL: Get the most up-to-date NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats, and more.

Now for the bad news: Pickett is the quarterback for one of the NFL’s worst offences, and his injury adds to the woes of a 28th-ranked unit that has struggled all season.

Pickett, when healthy, was one of the issues. On Sunday, he missed open receiver Diontae Johnson over the middle on the first drive, then returned later in the quarter and failed to connect on a third-down throw to George Pickens, who was running a deep corner route.

What is the alternative? Mitchell Trubisky took over for Pickett in the second half on Sunday, and he was clearly not up to the task of saving the day. Trubisky threw an ugly interception with Pittsburgh trailing by seven points in the fourth quarter, something you wouldn’t expect from a seventh-year veteran. He intercepted the pass and forced it into triple coverage over the middle.

“I’ve got to be smarter,” Trubisky said during his postgame news conference.

“Maybe on that instance I was doing too much, and that’s where you get into trouble,” he added. “I wanted to push the ball down the field, and that was the wrong thing to do on that play. Got to learn from it.”

Maybe with a few days of preparation, Trubisky can provide a spark. And maybe the Steelers (4-3), with offensive coordinator Matt Canada under extreme heat all season, will find a way to get talented receiver George Pickens more in the mix.

Pickens produced Pittsburgh’s only touchdown on Sunday when he hurdled two defenders to finish off a 22-yard play. It also happened to be his only catch of the day.