Steelers' Kenny Pickett Condemning Reports Of Refusing To Backup; Claims He Would've Started Against Seattle

It's been a crazy season for the Pittsburgh Steelers, yet they still have a decent shot at the postseason entering Week 18. Veteran Mason Rudolph has taken over at quarterback over the past two weeks, and the team has responded well. He has led the team to consecutive victories, which led to him being named the starter on Monday against the Baltimore Ravens. Kenny Pickett had ankle surgery a month ago, and it seems like he is healthy now.

Regardless, Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin opted to ride with the hot hand in Rudolph. In Week 17, Pickett was believed to be somewhat healthy, but was inactive. After that, rumors began to swirl around Pittsburgh that the second-year quarterback refused to be a backup against the Seattle Seahawks. Pickett addressed those rumors, via Mark Kaboly of The Athletic, when he spoke to the media on Tuesday morning.

"I saw reports out there that I feel like were attacking my character and how I am as a person... There was no talk of me being a backup quarterback this week in terms of being a [No.] 2. If I was healthy enough to play and the trainers felt I was healthy enough to play, I was gonna start and play. If they believed that I was not, I was not gonna dress and suit up for the game."

The rumors of course were that Pickett refused to serve as the team's backup quarterback against the Seahawks despite being deemed healthy. 

Perhaps most notably from his comment, Pickett said that he would've started against the Seahawks if he were healthy. Fortunately, Rudolph put in another solid performance, as he finished the day with 274 passing yards on 75% completion percentage without any turnovers. To put it bluntly, the offense have moved the ball better with Rudolph than with any other quarterback this season. 

Are The Steelers Handling The Quarterback Situation Correctly?

It's what led to Tomlin's confidence in naming Rudolph the starter on Monday, despite Pickett's healthiness entering Week 18. Pickett went on to mention that he will be the primary backup this weekend against the Baltimore Ravens. This means that Mitch Trubisky could be an inactive or the "emergency" third-string quarterback. Trubisky was benched just a few weeks ago in favor of Rudolph, as he couldn't avoid costly mistakes.

"So whoever reported that, don't know where it started, it's kind of crazy what people write and put out there to try to prove their point," Pickett continued. "You know, disappointing to see that without any proof of basis of it. ...So, this week, I'm now the [No.] 2. They feel good four weeks out from the surgery for me to dress and be the [No.] 2, so I will be the [No.] 2 and do what I have to do to be ready to go for Baltimore."

Pickett has had some success against the Ravens in the early portions of his career, as he had that memorable game-winning drive last season in Baltimore. The clutch drive was concluded with an impressive touchdown strike to running back Najee Harris. The Steelers somehow defeated the Ravens back in Week 5 earlier this week as well. The 2022 first-rounder went 18-for-32 for 224 passing yards and one touchdown and he improved to a 2-0 record against the Ravens as a starter (in games he's started and finished against them).

With the No. 1 seed locked up, the Ravens will more than likely rest a lot of their starters this weekend. That starts with MVP candidate Lamar Jackson, but it will be interesting to see who plays on the defensive side. The Ravens defense has been arguably the best in football in 2024, which would be a difficult challenge for Rudolph and the offense. Nonetheless, we now know that the team prefers Rudolph at the moment with Pickett healthy. Who knows what happened in Week 17, but it's important for the team to continue to eliminate the outside noise.

Whose side do you believe in this situation: Pickett or the Pittsburgh media? Do you believe that Pickett would have started in Week 17 if he were fully healthy? Do you expect Rudolph to continue his impressive performance in Week 18? Share your thoughts on this situation on our social media sites and/or in the comment section below, yinz!

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