Sources: Kenny Pickett avoids major injury, might play Sunday

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett avoided major injury from the sack that caused him to exit Sunday’s 30-6 loss to the Houston Texans in the third quarter, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Monday.

Pickett is not expected to miss much, if any, time, sources told Schefter. He could push the issue and play Sunday when the Steelers take on the Baltimore Ravens, sources added, but the team also knows it has a bye the following week and could opt to rest him.

Pickett suffered the injury when he was sacked by Texans defensive end Jonathan Greenard after dropping back and scrambling into pressure on fourth-and-1 midway through the third quarter. To that point, Pickett had completed 15 of 23 attempts for 114 yards and an interception. He was also sacked three times.

If the team elects to rest Pickett, quarterback Mitch Trubisky would start. After losing out to Pickett in Week 4 a year ago, Trubisky made three appearances later in the season, with the Steelers finishing that run at 2-1.

In that span, Trubisky completed 75% of his attempts for 599 yards, averaging 9.4 yards per attempt — an increase of nearly 4 yards per attempt from his first four starts — 12.5 yards per completion, two touchdowns and three interceptions. Trubisky was sacked just three times in his last three appearances, an improvement after being sacked eight times in his first four games.

“I feel comfortable,” Trubisky said Sunday of the possibility he could be called on. “That’s why they brought me back here to be ready to go in at any moment without notice, and we just got to have a good week of practice. Whatever happens, happens and be ready to roll, but we got to learn from this one and just look in the mirror and get ready to go.”