interesting: Steelers quarterback is suspended by the staff due to….

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett says the coaching staff felt he wasn’t ready to play against Seattle, which is why he was inactive during Pittsburgh’s 30-20 win over the Seahawks.  The second-year pro, who had right ankle surgery a month ago, denied online speculation that he told the coaching staff he didn’t want to suit up as a backup behind Mason Rudolph.  “There was no talk of me being a backup quarterback this week in terms of being a two,” Pickett said Tuesday. “If I was healthy enough to play and the trainers and coaches felt like I looked good enough to play, I was going to start and play, if they believed that I was not, which they believed I was not, was not going to dress and suit up for the game.”  Coach Mike Tomlin said on Monday that Pickett had been cleared by the medical staff to play but opted to make Pickett inactive because of his lack of reps during practice. Pickett was listed as “questionable” going into the game, but watched from the sideline in sweats while Rudolph guided an offense that piled up 468 yards.  Tomlin opted to stick with Rudolph ahead of a trip to Baltimore on Saturday, where the Steelers (9-7) will try to keep their playoff hopes alive with a win over the AFC North champion Ravens (13-3). Pickett is expected to be the backup. While he said as a competitor he wants the ball, he understands Rudolph has earned the opportunity to see if he can build on back-to-back impressive performances in victories over Cincinnati and Seattle that have kept Pittsburgh’s postseason hopes alive.  “Mason played well when he got in there,” Pickett said. “I have a ton of respect for Mason (with) everything he’s done and what our team has been doing. So now my job that I’m back healthy is to be the backup. If something happens, if he goes down, be ready to go and continue to support him the way I’ve been.”  Pickett said he is not ready to think about what the long-term ramifications might be of Rudolph’s play. Pickett is under contract for at least two more seasons while Rudolph will be a free agent in March.  “It’s been so day by day, week by week,” said Pickett, who stressed he has a good relationship with both Rudolph and Mitch Trubisky. “We’ll figure that out when the time comes.” Kenny Pickett was inactive for a fourth-straight game despite being medically cleared to return this past weekend.  Instead, the Pittsburgh Steelers went with Mason Rudolph, who had taken over for Mitch Trubisky the week prior.  The decision to sit Pickett wound up working out just fine as the Steelers kept their playoff hopes alive with a 30-23 win over the Seahawks, dampening Seattle’s odds in the process.

Kenny Pickett throws football  Kenny Pickett of the Pittsburgh Steelers throws a pass during the second quarter against the Arizona Cardinals, Dec. 3, 2023, in Pittsburgh. (Joe Sargent/Getty Images)  However, when Pickett was ruled inactive, a report swirled online that Pickett had actually “refused” to be the backup to Rudolph, thus leading to him being inactive.  Pickett caught wind of that report and squashed it immediately.  “I saw reports out there that I felt like were attacking my character and how I am as a person, not even getting into the player standpoint of it,” Pickett told reporters Monday morning.   Pickett then gave reporters a look behind the curtain that went into the quarterback decision for this past weekend.  “There was no talk of me being a backup quarterback this week in terms of being a two,” Pickett said. “If I was healthy enough to play and the trainers and coaches felt like I would look good enough to play, I was going to start and play. If they believed I was not, which they believed I was not, I was not going to dress and suit up for the game.”  Pickett then took a shot at Mark Madden, the radio host who made that initial report. Kenny Pickett at a press conference  When Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett was ruled inactive, a report swirled online that Pickett had actually “refused” to be the backup.

(AP Photo/Don Wright/File)  COWBOYS HOLD OFF LIONS IN WILD LAST-MINUTE FINISH; CEEDEE LAMB BREAKS 2 FRANCHISE RECORDS  “It’s kind of crazy what people will write and put out there to try to prove their point or help their standpoint or their careers in what you guys do; disappointed to see that without any proof or basis of it.”  Head coach Mike Tomlin said that he had not gotten “clarity” on Pickett until “later in the week.”  “And it was about the distribution of reps and who was best prepared and positioned to help us win,” Tomlin said Monday. “And so that’s the direction we went with.”  Despite that, though, Tomlin has tabbed Rudolph as the starter for Week 18 over Pickett.  “He’s done a good job, and we’ve done a good job, in the most recent two weeks. We’ve taken care of the ball, he’s taking care of the ball. We score points at a rate in which he hadn’t done to this point this year. And with the urgency of the moment, and because of those reasons, we’re going to leave the ball in [Rudolph’s] hands.” Kenny Pickett looks on field  Kenny Pickett of the Pittsburgh Steelers is shown during the game against the Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium on Nov. 19, 2023. (Nick Cammett/Getty Images)  CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP  The Steelers need to beat the Baltimore Ravens – and either the Buffalo Bills to lose to the Miami Dolphins or the Jacksonville Jaguars to lose to the Tennessee Titans – in order to make the playoffs (or an Indianapolis Colts-Houston Texans tie).