The Pittsburgh Steelers offense has struggled to catch a break this season. The drama with Diontae Johnson seemed to go on forever and the group has simply struggled to get into a good rhythm. If the Steelers could get a few weeks to focus on their overall execution and not just trying to get the whole squad onto the same page, they might be able to generate some chemistry with this young group and make a playoff run. Unfortunately for the Steelers, that will not be happening over the next couple weeks.
Pittsburgh Steelers Injury issues at Quarterback
The biggest burden this year at the most important offensive position for the Steelers has been a combination of health and consistence. That doesn’t appear to have changed as Kenny Pickett underwent ankle surgery today after being knocked out of the game on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals. Pickett went down after his leg was trapped during a routine scrambling play. He immediately went to the blue medical tent where he was sent into the locker room for medical testing. He would not return to the game.
It was announced that Pickett suffered a high ankle sprain and Mike Tomlin stated in a press conference that he doesn’t expect this starting quarterback to miss more than a couple weeks. Pickett has thrown for 2,070 yards with six touchdowns and four interceptions this season after being selected with the 20th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Pickett has struggled to generate explosive plays with his arm as he has mostly been trusted as a game manager up until this point in his career.
The Door Opens for a familiar Pittsburgh Steelers Backup
The NFL is an intriguing landscape of opportunity due to the fact that while an injury can ruin a players career, it can create an opportunity for a backup to shine. The Steelers hedged their bets with their young quarterback by bringing in a fairly high profile backup in the name of former Chicago Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky.
Trubisky put up fairly good numbers as a game managing quarterback for the Chicago Bears after he was selected with the second overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft;. While he wasn’t given a lot of opportunity to shine for the Bears, he led them to a 12-4 record during the 2018 season and has proven to be a talented player.
While teams tend to try to overemphasize loyalty by sticking with a starter during an injury, if Trubisky comes in and wins some big games for the Steelers, they may find themselves in a predicament regarding their future. Kenny Pickett has certainly not played well as the Steelers have had to rely on their usually sound ground game for any offense this season.
Alternative Offense for Pittsburgh
The problem has been compounded by the poor performance of running back Najee Harris for most of the season. Harris has only managed 661 yards in 12 games this season while averaging a mediocre 4.2 yards per carry. The running game will be leaned on much more as the season progresses given the uncertainty of the Steelers at the quarterback position.