Steelers' Kenny Pickett May Have Played The Entire Week 1 Game With A Dangerous Concussion

The Pittsburgh Steelers did not get off to a proper start in the 2023 regular season. After a perfect preseason period, the hype surrounding the team was nationwide. The San Francisco 49ers were the first test of the year and it's safe to say that the excitement surround Mike Tomlin's team has cooled off after a disappointing 30-7 loss in Pittsburgh at Acrisure Stadium. The only positive of Sunday's defeat was edge rusher, TJ Watt looking healthy and dominant. Other than that, all three phases of the game, even the punting game, was pretty lackluster. There is a lot of work to be done for Tomlin and co.

One of the most concerning parts of the afternoon was the shaky performance from second-year quarterback, Kenny Pickett. He led five touchdown drives in five possessions during the exhibition matchups, but was not going up against a preseason defense in Week 1. The 49ers are one of, if not, the best defense(s) in the entire league and they proved it again on Sunday.

Pickett threw the ball 46 times and was able to complete 31 of them. He found Pat Freiermuth in the end zone for the team's only score, but also threw two costly interceptions. His sophomore campaign certainly didn't start out like he, or the fan base would have hoped. He looked visibly rattled and was all over the place with his timing and throws. Accuracy is usually one of his strong suits, but it wasn't against San Francisco.

On top of a poor outing, the quarterback was also sacked five different times. Dan Moore Jr. was ranked the worst offensive tackle in the entire NFL according to Pro Football Focus. His pass blocking grade only came in at a woeful 22.8. It is essential to keep a young signal-caller upright and the Steelers were unable to do that in Week 1 of the 2023 regular season.

Could Steelers' Pickett Have Suffered A Concussion In Week 1?

Pickett did not steer clear of injury troubles during his rookie season. He entered the concussion protocol two separate times and one instance even caused him to miss a start. He has transitioned to a new helmet in 2023 in the hopes of avoiding scary head ailments in the future. As it turns out, he may have suffered an injury during the team's first offensive drive. He was whipped to the ground by 49ers defensive lineman, Drake Jackson.

That hit got people wondering whether or not he may have been concussed leading to more speculation that his play could have been drastically affected if he was dealing with a head injury. NFL analyst, Dave Dameshek brought up his theory on X (formerly known as Twitter). The video he posted clearly shows Pickett's head slamming against the Acrisure Stadium grass.

There have been no reports from inside the organization regarding a potential concussion, so fans can hope that the new helmet was there to protect the Steelers new franchise quarterback. It certainly is concerning though that he was hit that hard and no one, to anybody's knowledge, decided to take a look at him on the sideline early in the game.

There's no way to tell for sure if Pickett had any symptoms, but in 2022, he got slammed to the ground by Baltimore Ravens linebacker, Roquan Smith and self-reported symptoms to the training staff. One would have to expect he would have done the same if he were feeling woozy against the 49ers. If nothing is said regarding the issue heading into a week of preparation for the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football, fans should assume he is just fine.

Do you think the vicious hit Pickett took on the Steelers' first drive could have led to a concussion? Let us know in the comments below!

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