While he tried to give it a go, Steelers starting quarterback Kenny Pickett will not play in Saturday's must-win game against the Bengals. Pickett is, however, expected to be back on the field for Week 17's road game against the Seattle Seahawks, according to NFL Media.
Pickett returned to practice this week, less than three weeks after he underwent surgery on his ankle in an attempt to speed up the recovery process. While he was cleared to practice on a limited basis, Pickett was presumably not cleared by the team's medical staff to play Saturday.
Pickett sustained the injury just before halftime of Pittsburgh's Week 13 game against the Cardinals. The Steelers ultimately lost that game before dropping their next two games against the Patriots and Colts. Pittsburgh, now 7-7, will need to beat Cincinnati in order to remain in the AFC's playoff race.
The Steelers are a different team with Pickett in the lineup, so his absence will certainly hurt. Pittsburgh is 12-4 in Pickett's last 16 starts that saw him finish the game. The Steelers are 7-3 in games Pickett has finished this season and 0-4 otherwise.
With Pickett out, it'll be up to Mason Rudolph to best a Bengals defense on Saturday that has forced two turnovers in each of Cincinnati's past two games. While their secondary is young, the Bengals possess one of the NFL's best front sevens that includes defensive end Trey Hendrickson (15 sacks) and linebackers Logan Wilson (114 tackles and three interceptions) and Germaine Pratt (111 tackles and two picks).
The Bengals will also be without two of their key players Saturday. Defensive lineman D.J. Reader suffered a season-ending injury during the Bengals' Week 15 win over the Vikings. Pro Bowl wideout Ja'Marr Chase, who injured his shoulder against the Vikings, will also not play in Saturday's AFC North showdown.
