Steelers rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett’s first taste of the Baltimore Ravens rivalry ended abruptly. Check out what happened to him today.
Kenny Pickett : What happened to today | Why is out
Pickett made his NFL debut in the second half of a Week 4 loss against the New York Jets after starter Mitchell Trubisky was benched.
He completed 10 of 13 passes for 120 yards and rushed for two touchdowns, but threw three interceptions in the 24–20 loss.
On his first career pass attempt, Pickett threw a deep ball to Chase Claypool that bounced off his hands and was intercepted by Jordan Whitehead. In his second drive, Pickett scrambled into the end zone for his first ever touchdown in his NFL career.
On October 4, 2022, Pickett was named the starter by head coach Mike Tomlin.
In his first career start against the Buffalo Bills, Pickett completed 34 of 51 passes for 327 yards and an interception in the 38-3 loss.
What happened to Kenny Pickett today
Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett was placed in concussion protocol early in Pittsburgh’s 16-14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.
Mitchell Trubisky replaced Pickett for the Steelers.
Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley, starting for an injured Lamar Jackson, also was placed in concussion protocol and did not return. Backup Anthony Brown replaced Huntley in the second half for Baltimore.
Pickett’s injury occurred on a scramble and sack by Roquan Smith with 11:08 remaining in the first quarter.
Pickett initially was cleared from concussion protocol, and he returned for the team’s second series and attempted a pass.
The next series he was ruled out and replaced by Trubisky. In Trubisky’s first series, he led the team down the field in five plays, resulting in a Najee Harris touchdown.
Following the game, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin explained how the team handled Pickett’s injury.
“I think you know when he became symptomatic, he was pulled from the game and evaluated for a concussion,” Tomlin told media after the game and “I don’t know the sequence or details regarding the sequence.”
“I was talking to him right now. Listen, I can’t speak on it, but he seems good to me. He’s reciting the months of the year backwards, could you do that right now?” Harbaugh told reporters after the game. “We’ll see how it goes, you trust the doctors on that, and they’ll do a good job with him.
Whatever it is it is. If Tyler can go, he’ll be there, and Anthony will be backing him up. If he can’t go, Anthony will be there playing and Brett [Hundley] will be backing him up. We’ll go with what we got, and I promise you everyone in that locker room trusts everybody we got.”
Why is out
Kenny Pickett was forced to leave the Pittsburgh Steelers’ game against the Baltimore Ravens during Week 14 of the 2022 NFL season.
He was initially taken out in the first quarter to be evaluated for a concussion. He went through the NFL’s official concussion protocols and was cleared to return to the game.
Shortly after he was cleared to return, the Steelers officially announced that Kenny Pickett had been ruled out for the remainder of the match, to be further evaluated for a concussion. Mitchell Trubisky took over as the quarterback for the remainder of the game against the Ravens.
It was a strange series of events as Pickett was initially cleared from concussion protocols before going right back into them and being ruled out of the game.
It’s possible that the Steelers are just being extremely cautious with their rookie quarterback as he is expected to be their franchise quarterback for years to come.
This is the second time this year that Pickett has been forced into the NFL’s concussion protocols. The first such event occurred in Week 6 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
He was forced out of the game in the third quarter, but was able to clear the protocols prior to their next game, against the Miami Dolphins.
Every concussion case is different, so it’s unclear if Pickett will be forced to miss any game this time around. He needs to be officially cleared by the NFL before he’s allowed to resume playing football in any fashion.
The fact that he was able to clear the protocols prior to being ruled out against the Ravens probably helps his chances of playing in Week 15 against the Carolina Panthers.