Sources: Steelers' Kenny Pickett Now Has Chance To Play Sunday Against Ravens

On Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers received a huge scare as starting quarterback Kenny Pickett was sacked and immediately reached for his knee. Pickett remained down on the turf at NRG Stadium in Houston for a few minutes before he was helped off the field. He was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the game after walking to the locker room for further evaluation. 

Speculation began the minute that Pickett exited the field. Many Twitter/X "doctors" quickly jumped to the conclusion that Pickett had damaged his MCL, not his ACL, which would result in season-ending surgery. An MCL injury would likely keep Pickett out for a few weeks, but that would be best case scenario considering the other possibilities. 

After the game, Head Coach Mike Tomlin wasn't able to offer an update on Pickett only saying that his signal-caller had a knee injury and still needed to be evaluated. It's likely that Pickett went for an MRI as soon as the team charter landed in Pittsburgh after being delayed in Houston for engine trouble...again. Now if you follow the NFL, you know that the results of such tests are usually leaked immediately. But in Pickett's case, we're still waiting on an official word from the team. That might not come until Tuesday from Tomlin during his noon ET press conference on the South Side. 

But SteelerNation.com has learned through sources close to Pickett that his injury is expected to be announced as minor, and that Pickett has a chance to play on Sunday at home against the Baltimore Ravens. This news coincides with recent reports that Pickett walked through the Steelers locker room Monday afternoon with no limp, and no brace on his injured knee according to Chris Adamski of the Tribune Review. 

"FWIW, Kenny Pickett twice walked thru the Steelers locker room over the past 45 min, in sandals and nothing at all on his knee, no limp or any encumbered labored walk. Headed to meetings with teammates."

If Pickett's injury is eventually classified as a knee sprain, it's likely that if he does miss Sunday's game against the Ravens, that he should be ready to play after the Bye week in Los Angeles if everything goes right. According to a quick Google search, a knee sprain can have a recovery time of between 2-6 weeks depending on the grade of the sprain. 

It's also possible that Pickett may have a knee bruise. Ben Roethlisberger dealt with a bad knee bruise and sprained MCL back in 2015. Those injuries resulted in Roethlisberger missing four weeks after suffering the injury in Week 3 against the then-St. Louis Rams. But if Pickett is only dealing with the knee bruise, it could be healed in a matter of days rather than weeks. 

Multiple reports have now confirmed SteelerNation's report on Pickett. Reports also state that Pickett suffered only a minor bone bruise and a muscle strain. 

Steelers' Mitchell Trubisky Could Get First 2023 Start

If Pickett is unable to go on Sunday, the Steelers will be forced to turn to backup Mitchell Trubisky. Oddly enough, Trubisky had to step in for an injured Pickett last season against the Ravens. The game turned into a huge disaster for the Steelers as Trubisky would be intercepted 3 times and the Steelers would be beaten by a tandem of Ravens backups. Tyler Huntley, and Anthony Brown would combine for 104 yards passing enroute for a 16-14 victory at Acrisure Stadium. 

The Ravens shredded the Steelers defense on the ground for over 200 yards. Starter J.K. Dobbins averaged 8 yards per carry on his 15 attempts and would score one of the Ravens two touchdowns. 

Do you want Kenny Pickett to play if he's not 100%? Let us know in the comments below!

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