Kenny Pickett Returns to Practice for Steelers

Former Pitt Panthers quarterback Kenny Pickett is on the road to recovery and could be back soon.

PITTSBURGH -- Former Pitt Panthers and current Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett was expected to be sidelined by an ankle injury for up to four weeks but he is working hard to undercut that timetable this week. 

Ahead of a critical matchup against the Bengals in which the Steelers will try to keep their playoff hopes alive, the former Pitt star, Pickett practiced with the team - albeit in a limited capacity - for the first time since the injury. 

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said the day prior that Pickett was progressing well and that they would leave the door open for him to return this weekend against 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 

The Steelers' playoff odds are slim but they are still breathing with three weeks left in the regular season. They host Cincinnati this weekend before wrapping up the year 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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