The Pittsburgh Steelers’ fifth play from scrimmage in Sunday’s game left their rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett concussed, even if it took several more minutes for him to be diagnosed. He was brought down hard on a sack by Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith on a third down, evaluated, and then returned for a three-and-out possession before being ruled out for the remainder of the game.
While the hit itself should have been penalized for a facemask, which Smith was able to use in a way that contributed to Pickett’s head hitting the ground and resulting in a concussion, the blame for it happening on the first place goes to the protection, as center Mason Cole told Brian Batko yesterday for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.