Kenny Pickett injury update: Steelers QB says he is “playing for sure” against the Titans

Kenny Pickett told reporters today that he is “for sure playing” for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night Football against the Tennessee Titans:

Pickett is 122 of 200 with 1,330 yards with 5 touchdowns and 4 interceptions on the season. To put that in perspective, Pickett has just 1 more touchdown pass in 7 games than Will Levis did on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons. Imagine not having Will Levis on your team.

The Steelers have three quarterbacks on their roster - Pickett, Mitchell Trubisky, and Mason Rudolph. Is Pickett the best of those three? Probably, but I am not sure there is a huge difference. The Titans opened as 2.5-point underdogs in this match-up. The line has moved to Titans +3 over at DraftKings, so in other words, the oddsmakers at DK don’t see a big difference in who is playing QB for Pittsburgh.

The key for the Titans defense here will be getting pressure on Pickett. He might be ready to play, but I can’t assume he will be ready to take a bunch of hits after injuring his ribs on Sunday. Harold Landry and the Tennessee pass rush were really good against the Falcons. A repeat performance in this one will give the Titans a good chance to pull off the upset.