Steelers' Ramon Foster On Kenny Pickett In Week 5: "Hero Stuff Gotta Be Put On The Back Burner"

The Pittsburgh Steelers are going into a pivotal matchup against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 5 of the 2023 season. After losing a game that was expected to be an easy win against the Houston Texans in Week 4, the Steelers are 2-2. Now, they can take the lead in the AFC North if they can defeat a difficult Ravens team. 

That will not be an easy win however, the Steelers looked awful in all three phases of the game against the Texans. In addition, games against the Ravens are always close. The two teams usually engage in hard-fought, low-scoring matches that make this such an incredible rivalry. 

On top of losing the game in Week 4, the Steelers lost their young quarterback, Kenny Pickett, during the third quarter. He was sacked on a 4th-and-1 play after dropping into the shotgun position. He was seen clutching his knee on the field and had to be helped to the sideline. 

Pickett's injury was later identified as a bone bruise, but now the question has arisen about whether the Steelers should allow him to start in Week 5. Former Steelers offensive lineman Ramon Foster thinks that they should force him to rest against the Ravens. 

"Absolutely not. I save him. I save him because there's not much you can do in a game like this. You can't risk sending a lame duck out there if his knee is bothered like that. Mobility is a part of Kenny's game and that's also why Kenny got in trouble last week. Kenny needs to realize he is the franchise, this wanting to be the hero stuff gotta be put on the back burner now."

Foster, who played for the Steelers for 11 seasons, now co-hosts a podcast with reporter Dejan Kovacevic called The Ramon Foster Show, which airs on DK Pittsburgh Sports. In a recent episode, they discussed the topic of Pickett playing against the Ravens. 

Kovacevic brought up that Pickett himself has been saying that he is good to go for the game. He was seen at the facility and at practice wearing a knee brace, but otherwise walking around unencumbered. Foster responded to Kovaceivc that all players say that, they are professionals and everyone wants to play. 

Foster added that there is a way to "feed" players into the game when they are ready. As one is returning, the coaches will have to assess the player's readiness and performance. 

Steelers Don't Want To Be In The Bengals' Situation

Kovacevic pointed out that the Cincinnati Bengals are dealing with a quarterback injury this season. The face of their franchise, Joe Burrow, was injured close to the start of training camp. Burrow, who is the highest-paid quarterback in the league currently, has not been playing well. The Bengals are currently 1-3.

The Bengals were widely considered one of the teams to beat coming into the 2023 season which is why their season-opening slump is so surprising. Burrow currently has a passer rating of 33.6, with 87 out of 151 attempts for a completion percentage of 57.6%.

Kovacevic brought up that the Bengals' sluggish start is leading to questions about Burrow. Is he more injured than reported? Should he even be starting? He mentions that they are currently ranked as the worst offense in the NFL, 32 out of 32. Foster is shocked, he knew they were struggling, but did not realize it was that bad. He smacks his forehead when he hears that they are only averaging 12.3 points per game. 

"The yardage is the lowest too. The Cincinnati Bengals, the unbeatable Bengals. This is why these preseason things don't matter - meaning the predictions and so forth," said Kovacevic.

After hearing this, Foster doubles down on his earlier assertion. He said that there are four games behind the team that they can't change, but they still have a lot of football to play and the season is a long way from over. The Steelers wouldn't be the first, last, or only team to turn their season around after a rocky start. 

"I don't send him out there though. Mitch [Trubisky] at least for one game, or even Mason [Rudolph] for one game. They are capable of getting through this game and that's how it's going to be anyway, unless we get blown out. It's always a three-point game. So let's minimize the opportunities in which a turnover can happen."

This will be the 59th time the two teams have met, including the playoffs. The Steelers have won 33 of those games to the Ravens 25. Foster is not wrong about these games being low-scoring affairs either. You have to go back to 2019 to find a game that has been won by more than five points. 

What do you think about Pickett playing? Click to comment below. 

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