Kenny Pickett didn't get to finish his first NFL start at home.
In the third quarter of the Steelers' 20-18 win over the Buccaneers, Pickett sustained a concussion and was ruled out for the remainder of the game.
On the first play of the Steelers' second drive of the second half, Pickett ran a play-action fake then turned and threw the ball deep down the right sideline for a 27-yard gain to Diontae Johnson. Pickett was hit in the chest and arm by Devin White as he released the ball, sending the ball high in the air. Even though it wasn't the hardest hit Pickett has sustained this season, his head whiplashed when he hit the ground, leaving him very slow to get up.
Trainers came out and walked with him off the field. Pickett followed them to the blue medical tent, then headed to the locker room shortly thereafter. To add insult to injury, the big gain was called back on a holding penalty called on Kevin Dotson.
Mitch Trubisky, who was benched midway through the fourth game of the season, filled in for Pickett. After the current drive stalled out and the offense went three and out on the following drive, Trubisky led the offense down the field on an 8-play, 71-yard drive that culminated in a 6-yard touchdown pass to Chase Claypool.
"He's been professional and class at every step of the way," Mike Tomlin said after the game. "That's why I mentioned it repeatedly when you guys ask me about what's transpiring at the quarterback position. ... We are a collective team, and I appreciate the unselfishness of all of those guys throughout this process. That's why I repeatedly bring it up."
The Steelers held on to win the game, despite being 9.5-point underdogs, to improve to 2-4 on the season, and both quarterbacks had marquee moments. Pickett's touchdown pass to Najee Harris in the first quarter was not only his first NFL touchdown pass, but it snapped the Steelers' streak of 14 games without a first-quarter touchdown. Trubisky's touchdown pass to Claypool gave a Pittsburgh receiver a touchdown reception for the first time this season.
Pickett technically still gets credit for the win, and Trubisky made it a point to congratulate him after the game. There's also no word about how Tomlin will handle the quarterback position going forward, so it's assumed everything will remain status quo once Pickett clears concussion protocol.
"We're just going to take it day by day. We've got to get him back. We've got to get a lot of guys back," Trubisky said. "We've just got to rally together and see if these guys are alright."
Other than Pickett, the Steelers who played Sunday's game left the field relatively healthy. James Pierre suffered what Tomlin described as a "stinger" when he collided with Chris Godwin on a tipped pass from Tom Brady. He was spotted in a neck brace after the game.
Myles Jack (ankle), Larry Ogunjobi (leg) and Mason Cole (foot) suffered injuries, but were able to return to the game.
