Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett (8) is assisted off the field after an apparent injury during the third quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Baffling Steelers play call results in Kenny Pickett knee injury

By Adam Gretz | Last updated 10/2/23

Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada has been under fire since the start of last season, and that criticism is only going to intensify after a fourth-down play call on Sunday that resulted in a knee injury to starting quarterback Kenny Pickett.

With the Steelers trailing by 10 points late in the third quarter, they were facing a fourth-and-one situation in Houston territory.

It was at that point that the Steelers made the baffling decision to come out lined up in a shotgun situation with four wide receivers, attempting some sort of a downfield pass when all they needed was three feet to keep the driving going.

The Steelers' offensive line was overwhelmed, Pickett tried to scramble away from danger and ended up getting sacked and injuring his knee in the process.

He was down on the ground in clear pain for several moments before being helped off the field.

#KennyPickett left knee injury.https://t.co/ISD1QKftaE pic.twitter.com/AM2c8z1Zwu
— David J. Chao - ProFootballDoc (@ProFootballDoc) October 1, 2023

Football is a violent game and injuries are unavoidable no matter what your play calls look like. But the result of that play is going to heighten the scrutiny. Even if Pickett had not been injured and just been simply sacked it was still going to be a dreadful play call. The Steelers' offense had finally started to show some momentum running the ball in the second half and was starting to gain some ground.

Pickett is also excellent on quarterback sneaks.

It was the perfect time to just let him plow forward and keep the drive going.

Coming out in a shotgun, four wide receivers set where you are pretty much telling the Texans you are going to throw the ball is a recipe for disaster. Especially given how poorly the Steelers' offensive line is in pass protection.

The injury only adds to the failure.

It is not exactly encouraging that the Steelers immediately ruled Pickett out of the game as soon as he exited. He was replaced by veteran backup Mitch Trubisky.

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