Steelers QB Kenny Pickett Wants to Play Against Seahawks

The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback is pushing to get back on the field this week.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers are moving through the week with Mason Rudolph as their starting quarterback, but they haven't ruled out the possibility of Kenny Pickett's return. 

That being said, it feels unlikely a change will be made before game time when the team travels to Seattle to face the Seahawks. Right now, it appears Pickett will miss his fourth game due to a high ankle sprain followed by surgery to make his rehab more aggressive. 

After Rudolph's 290-yard, two-touchdown performance against the Cincinnati Bengals, it didn't feel likely the Steelers were going back to Pickett just yet. Head coach Mike Tomlin said they'll monitor Pickett's health, which makes the outlook murky for the second-year QB.

"It's just taking it a day at a time," Pickett said. "They have a plan for me. I'm just going by what they tell me."

Pickett said it's up to the trainers and the coaches to decide if he'll play or not, but said he feels ready to be back on the field and he's in the spot he expected to be at this point in the recovery process. 

"I feel like I could [play]," Pickett said. "I always try to push myself. It's the trainers, it's the coaches, it's what they see me moving and how they want to go about it."

In the meantime, Pickett is getting mental reps and trying to show he's capable of moving around. He said the reason for not making him active last week was because the coaches and trainers believed he wasn't mobile enough to protect himself. 

The Steelers have their backs against the wall in the playoff hunt, with two wins needed to close out the regular season to have a realistic shot at making the postseason. Pickett's availability in these final two practices will determine whether or not he'll be ready to play in Week 17. 

And for him, he's pushing as hard as he can to get back on the field.

"Any competitor wants to get in there and play," Pickett said. "I'm trying to come back as soon as possible."

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