PITTSBURGH -- Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett exited the first half against the Jaguars on Sunday with a rib injury, and he was ruled out for the rest of the game. Mitch Trubisky finished the game for Pittsburgh, who made a brief rally but ultimately was on the short end of a 20-10 final score.
Despite the injury, Pickett said that he will play on Thursday night against the visiting Tennessee Titans, who will start rookie quarterback Will Levis following his four-touchdown performance against the Atlanta Falcons.
"I'm playing, for sure," Pickett said, via ESPN.
The injury occurred when Pickett was hit by Jaguars defensive lineman Adam Gotsis on a first-down pass attempt with 17 seconds left until halftime. Pickett stayed on the ground for several moments before leaving the field under his own power.
Here's the play when Pickett suffered the injury:
So you saw the roughing call against the #Steelers, how then is this NOT roughing?
— Bob Pompeani (@KDPomp) October 29, 2023
In my view, neither should have been called BUT if you called Neal, you had to call this too pic.twitter.com/9KvUOwDLFr
After a slow start, Pickett finished the half with 73 yards on 10 of 16 passing. He made several key plays on Pittsburgh's 12-play, 93-yard scoring drive that cut their deficit to three points late in the first half.
The Steelers do have an experienced backup in Trubisky, a former Pro Bowler with the Bears who has made 57 starts during his seven-year NFL career. He went 2-3 as the Steelers' starting quarterback last season that included a road win over the Panthers in Week 15.
But Trubisky was unable to lead the Steelers back on Sunday after trailing 9-3 at halftime. While he did connect with George Pickens for the team's lone touchdown, Trubisky's two interceptions played a role in Pittsburgh's third loss of the season.
"I've got to be smarter," Trubisky said afterward. "I'm out there trying to win the game. ... I wanted to push the ball down the field, and that was the wrong thing to do (on his second interception). Got to learn from it."
Thursday night's game is a big one for the 4-3 Steelers, who need a win in order to keep pace with the Bengals, Browns and Ravens in the AFC North division race. Pittsburgh also needs a win to keep pace with the rest of the field in the AFC playoff standings.
