Steelers Aftermath: Plenty to Blame for Loss; Pickett Injury Fallout

Alan Saunders |

Updated: Dec 12, 2022

The Pittsburgh Steelers lost the battle of attrition of Sunday to the Baltimore Ravens and it basically sunk any chances of having a successful 2022 season,

Down to backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky, but with the Ravens also hurting, the Steelers turned the ball over three times, made numerous special teams gaffes, and couldn’t get one final stop on defense to give them a chance at victory.

The loss sapped any remaining hope from what had been a second half of the season filled with promise.

Trying to assign blame from the mess: Mitch Trubisky took the blame for the three interceptions that stopped Steelers scoring drives deep in Baltimore territory. The Steelers run defense got run over all afternoon.

The big news beside the loss was that Kenny Pickett left the game in the first quarter and remains in the NFL concussion protocol. No penalty was called on Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith, who appeared to have hold of Pickett’s facemask while whipping him to the ground. Pickett initially returned to the game before suffering some concussion symptoms and leaving the game. What went wrong on the play that got Pickett hurt?

The Steelers also lost defensive tackle Chris Wormley to what looked like a potentially serious knee injury.

Minkah Fitzpatrick put a highlight-reel hit on Tyler Huntley, knocking him out of the game.

Malik Reed was a healthy scratch for the first time this season, with Isaiahh Loudermilk drawing into the lineup instead.

OTHER STEELERS NEWS AND LINKS

The Steelers fell into 13th place in the AFC playoff picture after the loss.

STEELERS SCHEDULE

The Steelers will open the locker room to the media at 1:15 p.m. — Alan Saunders, Nick Farabaugh