Steelers' Kenny Pickett Out vs. Texans with Knee Injury; Mitchell Trubisky Replaces

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett will not return to Sunday's game against the Houston Texans after suffering a knee injury.

Pickett completed 15 of 23 passes for 114 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception prior to exiting.

He was replaced by backup Mitchell Trubisky.

Pickett, 25, missed Week 15's 24-16 win over the Carolina Panthers during his rookie season with a concussion, though he returned the next week against the Las Vegas Raiders on Christmas Eve.

The second-year quarterback had an up-and-down rookie season, throwing for 2,404 yards, seven touchdowns and nine interceptions, completing 63 percent of his passes while taking 27 sacks. He was 7-5 as the team's starter.

The Steelers opened the 2022 season with Trubisky under center, though his struggles prompted a move to Pickett. Trubisky played well in last season's temporary return to the starting lineup, finishing 17-of-22 for 179 yards and a rushing touchdown in the December win over the Panthers.

If Pickett is forced to miss more time, Trubisky will return to the starting role. There will be no quarterback controversy this year, however, as Pickett's excellent training camp and preseason cemented him as the team's starter going forward.

Head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters in late August that Pickett's leadership took a big step forward in his second training camp.

"The leadership things, the communication things, the bringing-people-together things. That is significant," he said. "It's not play related, but it is. He is the catalyst for that unit, he controls the pace and the tenor of that unit, and I think if he's comfortable that unit is comfortable, and I think that's been the biggest difference."

That will make his absence all the more detrimental, though Trubisky is a solid option as the backup.