Former Pitt QB Questionable for Steelers Again

The Pittsburgh Steelers will again leave the door open for former Pitt Panthers quarterback Kenny Pickett to return.

PITTSBURGH -- Former Pitt Panthers quarterback Kenny Pickett is inching closer and closer to a return for the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said the team will wait and see where Pickett, their regular starter and 2022 first-round pick out of Pitt, is at as the week progresses. There's a chance he could play, but Tomlin refused to address whether it would be Pickett or Mason Rudolph who starts against the Seattle Seahawks if everyone is healthy. 

Rudolph threw for 290 yards and two touchdowns in his first start in more than two years last week, a 34-11 victory over the Bengals. 

Pickett suffered a high ankle sprain during a Week 13 contest against the Arizona Cardinals, a loss that kickstarted a three-game losing streak that has sunk the Steelers out of playoff positioning in the crowded AFC. He had been in a boot ever since but was healthy enough to return to the practice field last week, albeit in a limited capacity. 

The Steelers' playoff odds are slim but they are still breathing with two weeks left in the regular season. After pulling a stunning upset of the red-hot Cincinnati Bengals in blowout fashion last week, they'll close the regular season with road trips to Seattle and Baltimore. They'll need wins in each of those games to even have a prayer of sneaking into the field, and will need help from elsewhere around the AFC as well.

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