11:50am: Pickett’s tightrope procedure is complete, and Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports a two-to-four week absence should be expected. When speaking to the media, head coach Mike Tomlin declined to rule Pickett out for any games beyond the Steelers’ Week 14 matchup, however. His recovery process will be worth watching closely as it pertains to Pittsburgh’s playoff outlook.
9:33am: The ankle injury which Kenny Pickett suffered in Week 13 will force him to miss time, but it may not be season-ending. The Steelers’ starting quarterback will undergo surgery today, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. 
Rapoport adds, crucially, that the Steelers will not place Pickett on injured reserve. Doing so would require at least a four-week absence and, for all intents and purposes, shut him down for the remainder of the campaign. Pickett will miss Pittsburgh’s upcoming Thursday night game at a minimum, Rapoport notes, so Mitch Trubisky will handle starting duties against the Patriots.
Pickett’s procedure will address the lingering issue which he has been dealing with throughout the season. Rapoport notes the 2022 first-rounder’s surgery will be aimed at repairing a high ankle injury, so it would come as no surprise if he were to miss more than one game as a result. The Steelers could still find themselves in contention for an AFC playoff spot in the closing weeks of the season, however, so Pickett’s recovery will be a major storyline.
Pittsburgh sits at 7-5 after yesterday’s upset loss against the Cardinals. Offensive production was an issue in that game, something which has been the case for much of the year. The Steelers’ lack of improvement on that side of the ball led to the firing of Matt Canada, and an uptick in efficiency appeared to be on the horizon based on the team’s first outing after the decision. Questions will be raised about their ability to consistently produce with Trubisky at the helm for the time being, though.
The veteran has been in Pittsburgh since 2022, the year in which he ceded the starting role to Pickett midseason. Pittsburgh has had to use Trubisky on a number of occasions since then, however, owing to Pickett’s injury troubles. The 25-year-old’s latest ailment will interrupt his first full season as a starter, one in which he has roughly duplicated his statistics from his rookie campaign. While that has limited the Steelers’ output in the passing game, they have leaned on their rushing attack in recent weeks in particular.
Pittsburgh rushed for 130 yards in Week 13, using the tandem of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren in the backfield. That helped raise the team’s average to 115 yards per game on the ground, which ranks 14th in the NFL (compared to 30th in their passing output). A ground-heavy approach would come as little surprise with Trubisky now atop the depth chart as the Steelers look to continue their postseason push with a shorthanded offense.
Who will the blame train set their sights on now….
Kenny was just starting to look good without Canada
now back to Mitch looking bad regardless
Feel bad for the fragile kid but he’s no NFL starting QB. Fraud of a coach and team. Blow it all up and start over
Yeah, trash everything cos they’re not running it up like they do in college football.
You would tear down the team that’s the #5 AFC seed coming out of Week 13 — with a legitimate chance to win the AFC North. Notice where the Steelers have the easiest stretch run compared to Baltimore and Cleveland?
…and a coach who has NEVER had a losing season even when he had a guy whose now (probably) washing dishes at an Applebees as his starting QB is a fraud.
The Steelers and Patriots are both teams whose rosters are suspect because of long winning runs led by suspect first round QB’s. Where is PGH and where is New England?
Virtually every excuse people make for BB right now applies to Tomlin but he keeps winning while the greatest coach ever is losing with the same hand.
On one hand, Chuck obviously doesn’t watch this pathetic team because if he did, he’d laugh at his own words. Yeah, the team is 7-5 and were gifted a number of those wins where they were outgained by their opponent. And easiest stretch run? That was supposed to have started yesterday. Problem was, AZ is a better team
Do you watch the games?
66, maybe you should stick to hockey because your blather is reflective of national media’s adoration of Tomlin. The “never had a losing season” mantra is funny. Were you waving your Terrible Towel as you wrote it?
Like Chuck before you, I have to wonder if you’re watching games with a clear head.
Pathetic team. A QB that is the NFL’s worst and a roster full of scrap. Let’s salute them for Watt winning the game against Cleveland, for numerous receiver drops in the end zone by the Rsvens, for beating a Burrow-less Bengals….
Fanboys. Incredible.
I laughed out loud yesterday a number of times
Saying the Steelers were embarrassed? Hahaha. These teams were even, if anything
And watching Connor slice up the defense was a treat
Don’t care what the record is.this is a bad team
And when they use that never had a losing season shtick ya know that’s all they got. Like the Post Gazette writers said today, a lot of delusional fans out there
While your points are valid old dude, don’t bring the terrible towel into this. The team stinks, the towel does not.
I could give two ****s if the Steelers win or lose.
Which makes me more objective than the INSANE and entitled yinzers who think every single Super Bowl is theirs if only Tomlin didn’t lose it for them.
Yinzers have had it so good they have no idea what bad looks like and great isn’t good enough for them.
A team you say is pathetic with a roster full of scrap is 7-5 and in strong playoff position…AND…you think the coach is bad.
Literally insane.
“Entitled yinzers?”
This is all you’ve got?
Like you, I could not care less, either but at least watch the games before you embarrass yourself here
What’s “literally insane” are delusional comments about playoffs
Sheesh.
So, FTR…
Are they a highly talented team that should be 9-3 or 10-2 if not for Tomlin being a lousy coach?
Or are they a “pathetic roster full of scrap” (in which case, Tomlin’s done an amazing job leading them to a winning record)?
Coherent logic requires you pick one.
OR will you instead play The Yinzer Card and say it’s somehow both?
That is a whole new level for stupidity for a take right there. Fraud of a coach? He will be a first ballot Hall of Fame coach when all said and done. He has never had a losing season in 16 years, 10 playoff appearances, 7 division titles, 3 AFC Championship games, and 2 Super Bowls as Pittsburgh’s head coach. He has won 2 Super Bowls, 1 as a head coach and 1 as an assistant. His overall records is 170-98-2. He will end up comfortably in the top ten of wins as a head coach. He has sent 73 players to the Pro Bowl. I think probably most teams in the NFL would hire him in an instant. If he is garbage, I would like to pick through your trash.
Fraud might be a strong word for Tomlin but not for his team. And certainly, he not only doesn’t have the talent he had when he won that Super Bowl nor does he seem to have the wherewithal to coach modern athletes who seem to be me-first types. At least not anymore
A lot of what Tomlin gets in terms of criticism is essentially racism disguised as critique.
I get that he has a background as you have detailed but I’ll agree with others here and say that maybe the franchise needs a fresh voice.
“nor does he seem to have the wherewithal to coach modern athletes who seem to be me-first types”
Under Tomlin, AB was a HOF bound player.
Under everyone else, he was a felon.
PS- If someone wants to make the fresh voice argument, that’s a reasonable if incorrect one. The “the guy who has NEVER ever lost is a bad coach” is just dumb.
“I am legit trying my best to be even keel and not overreact, but the non-competitive product we put on the field today is an indictment vs. Tomlin. That’s just being real. I love my coach. He usually gets the most out of guys. But this is bad. Plain and simple.”—Trai Essex
Whatever you say, pal
Exactly, if he was a good coach, he’d never have a bad game.
There are no good coaches on the planet, evidently.
Not at all a hot take by a guy desperate to get a media job instead of bagging groceries or anything, but sure, hang your hat on a long forgotten backup swing tackle’s random musing, I guess.
So, this loss is on him…are the wins on him, too? Or no?
Read Paul Zeise’s column in today’s PG. I’d say it does a nice job of summarizing what many fans now think
Paul Zeise is a blithering idiot so I doubt I will do that.
The media in this town mushroom manages the fans. At this point, there might be 2 or 3 worth anything. The rest are useless or worse
This is why they are all so hostile to the “national media” who realizes there are actually, in fact, 32 teams in the league and that the SB doesn’t belong to one team as a birthright (even if it clings to a 70’s based slogan about being the city of champions).
Not sure I agree with your second point. I was around for that golden era. Only comes around once. You’re right
But nothing wrong with wanting a team that will compete. Don’t feel entitled. Don’t think it’s Tomlin’s fault either
Not a fan of any one writer or talking head, btw. I have eyes in my head. I can think for myself. If nothing else, like the Pirates, they’ve misfired on a lot of personnel recently
Regards
I can’t believe people are STILL buying into the no losing seasons garbage.
If it was 3-6 seasons it’d be pretty worthless to point out but 16 years and counting is an impressive accomplishment. In fact it’s something literally nobody else has ever done. I wish I had half that much success in my career.
Roster full of talent on offense and defense plus a once in a generation, franchise QB helps. This year, its the weak schedule.
I think what has been amazing to me going back to Roethlisberger’s last year is how bad the O-line has been. I’m not about to excuse Pickett as the jury is still out on him, but it seems that for the past three seasons, two things are evident:
-the QB is under pressure 90% of the time
-Najee Harris, who is more like Leveon Bell in picking a hole, usually gets the ball at the same time the opposing D-line gets him
I give Warren a great deal of props in all of this. He’s a quick burst type that hits holes quickly
If you watch a great deal of pro football, these are the telling elements of the Steelers offense. They have had a hard time building an adequate line
Pittsburgh versus New England on Thursday night. Could we see a 0-0 tie?
First team to 10 wins though I’m not sure Al Michaels can stay up that late
I think the Steelers can do one field goal better than the Chargers. I’m gonna say 9-0 is the final score
Buyer beware … he’s got small ankles.