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Brooke Pryor, ESPN Staff Writer
HOUSTON — Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett left Sunday’s 30-6 loss to the Houston Texans with a knee injury.
Pickett was sacked as he spun out of a collapsing pocket on a fourth-and-1 dropback from the Texans 33 with 1:16 remaining in the third quarter. Pickett tried to elude the Texans’ pressure, spinning away from it but into defensive end Jonathan Greenard, who came around the outside of rookie left tackle Broderick Jones.
Greenard wrapped Pickett up and spun him around. Pickett clutched his left knee after the sack, rocking on the ground until Steelers medical personnel got to him.
Pickett, who completed 15 of 23 passes for 114 yards with one interception, initially needed help off the field and put his arms around athletic trainers for about half of the walk back to the bench.
He made it to the blue medical tent under his own power, walking gingerly. After being evaluated in the tent for more than five minutes, Pickett was ruled out with a knee injury and walked with Steelers personnel back to the tunnel.
Backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky took over for Pickett when the Steelers’ offense retook the field in the fourth quarter. A year ago at halftime of Week 4, Pickett replaced Trubisky as the team’s starting quarterback.
Trubisky, who joined the Steelers in free agency before the 2022 offseason, signed a two-year extension in the offseason.
The Steelers also lost tight end Pat Freiermuth, who sustained a hamstring injury on a 32-yard catch-and-run play by Najee Harris midway through the third quarter, and left tackle Dan Moore Jr., who didn’t return after the club’s first drive with a knee injury.
With Freiermuth sidelined, the Steelers turned to third-round pick Darnell Washington and 2022 draft pick Connor Heyward to handle tight end duties.
Washington made his first NFL catch with three minutes to go in the third quarter for a 10-yard gain and a first down. Freiermuth had a touchdown in the Steelers’ win against Las Vegas a week ago, and against the Texans, Freiermuth had three receptions for 7 yards on four targets.
In Moore’s absence, 2023 first-round pick Jones stepped in and anchored the left tackle spot.