The Pittsburgh Steelers had the chance to gain ground on the Baltimore Ravens for first place in the AFC North but lost 20-10 to the Jacksonville Jaguars. There was controversy throughout the game, such as an offside call on offensive guard Isaac Seumalo that negated a Chris Boswell field goal.
Then, there was a huge injury to quarterback Kenny Pickett, who hurt his ribs on a hit by Jaguars defensive lineman Adam Gotsis. Pickett was ruled out for the remainder of the game.
Pittsburgh is on a short week, as they face the Tennessee Titans on Thursday night. The question remains as to who will be the quarterback for that game, which comes two days after a curious NFL Trade Deadline.
Head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters on Monday that Pickett is considered a game-time decision, citing that the quarterback has no structural damage to the ribs.
"Probably will be a game-time-type decision, based on the information that I'm holding here today with no structural damage and so forth to his ribs," said Tomlin, h/t ProFootballTalk. "So, we'll see how we'll go through the week — his ability to throw, his level of comfort, his ability of effectiveness, etc., and let that be our guide in terms of determining his availability."
If Pickett can't play, Tomlin said that Mitch Trubisky will get the start.
Steelers consider Kenny Pickett a game-time decision for Week 9
So, it's not an entirely surprising plan for the Steelers. They want to see if he can get ready on four days' notice, which is a bit of wishful thinking.
The Steelers listed Pickett as a limited participant in their estimated injury report.
Trubisky entered in relief of Pickett on Sunday afternoon against the Jaguars, throwing for 138 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions while completing 15-of-27 pass attempts.
The Steelers have only reached 300 yards of total offense twice this season (Week 3 vs. Las Vegas Raiders and Week 7 vs. Los Angeles Rams). They are set to face a Titans defense that has surrendered, on average, 339.4 yards of offense per game. Now the question remains in the coming days if Pickett will be the starting quarterback or if it will be Trusbisky.
We should get an answer by Thursday.