Kenny Pickett Updates Ankle Injury Status: ‘Not Too Big of a Deal’

PITTSBURGH — It’s never a good sign when a team’s starting quarterback ends up on the injury report, but it appears that Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett will be making only a precautionary trip there this week.

Head coach Mike Tomlin said on Tuesday that Pickett suffered an ankle injury in the team’s 16-10 Week 12 win over the Cincinnati Bengals and could be limited in the week of practice leading up to the team’s Week 13 home contest against the Arizona Cardinals.

But Pickett minimized the issue after practice on Wednesday, saying that he doesn’t think the injury will hold him back.

“Just throughout the game, just something that I have to manage,” Pickett said. “I’ve had something similar before. Not too big of a deal.”

That’s a deep sigh of relief for the Pittsburgh faithful, especially with Pickett coming off one of the best games of his career.

The Steelers quarterback set a season high with 278 passing yards and a 72.2 completion percentage on Sunday, and his 97.8 passer rating was his second-best mark of the season. 

He broke Ben Roethlisberger’s franchise record for the longest streak without recording an interception, and perhaps most importantly, guided the Steelers to a key road divisional victory.

“I saw some things that were encouraging,” head coach Mike Tomlin said after the game.

Pickett will have to continue to show progress going forward, but it’s a strong sign for him and the Steelers that it doesn’t seem like the ankle injury will be holding him back this week.