Kenny Pickett shares latest injury update ahead of Seahawks game

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett appears to be on the verge of making his return to the field, but backup QB Mason Rudolph is still the team’s scheduled starter for Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks. Pickett discussed his health with reporters this week, saying that he feels “good,” but the decision whether he plays Sunday or not is up to the coaches.

“It feels good,” Pickett said, via the team’s website. “I am going to take it a day at a time, see what the coaches are saying, what the trainers are saying. They have a plan for me, I am just going about what they are telling me. It feels like I am on track with what I need to do. It’s not how I feel, it’s what they see me doing and how they feel like I am looking moving around.”

Pickett has been sidelined for a month for the Steelers after he suffered an ankle injury that required Tightrope surgery. He returned to practice in limited fashion last week but remained unavailable to play on Saturday. Prior to the injury, Pickett was completing 62% of his passes with 2,070 passing yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions. He is less than 400 yards away from surpassing his 2022 total, which he accumulated over 13 regular season games.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are trying to beat the Seahawks in Seattle for just the second time in franchise history. Seattle is coming off two 20-17 victories. First, they beat the Philadelphia Eagles, then they beat the Tennessee Titans. Meanwhile, the Steelers posted a season-high of 34 points with Rudolph under center against the Bengals last week.

The Seahawks are now 8-7 and sitting in second in the NFC West. Their record is tied with the L.A. Rams but both are still behind the San Francisco 49ers.

Rudolph leads Steelers to victory over Bengals

The Steelers beat the Cincinnati Bengals 34-11 on Saturday behind a 290-yard and two-touchdown performance from Rudolph. The backup hadn’t started a game since December of 2021 before he took the reins against the Bengals.

“I felt like we were balanced and we were clicking,” Rudolph said after jumping out to a 24-0 lead at halftime.

His favorite target on Saturday, despite recent drama surrounding the wideout, was George Pickens. He had four catches for 195 yards and two touchdowns. That included an 86-yard score, which was the longest of Pickens’ career.

“People like to question (our commitment) a lot,” Pickens said after the game. “But that just shows you (who we are).”