PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick went down with injuries in Sunday's 20-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin didn't have an update on either player's status after the game.
Pickett was drilled by Jaguars defensive end Adam Gotsis on a first-down pass attempt with 17 seconds left in the first half. Pickett stayed down on his hands and knees at the midfield logo for several seconds after the play as trainers rushed to him.
The second-year quarterback came off the field and went straight back to the locker room to be evaluated for a rib injury. Though he was initially designated as expected to return, Pickett was later downgraded to out after attempting to warm up on the sideline.
"I mean, Kenny knows his body better than anybody, so he tried to go out there and throw and if he didn't feel like he was a hundred percent, he shouldn't put himself in that position," Tomlin said. "And same with all the trainers and coaches. So I feel like they made the right choice by protecting him and him protecting himself. So hopefully he's OK and we'll see where he is at."
Pickett's status for Thursday night's game against the Titans is "up in the air," a league source told ESPN's Adam Schefter; the team wants to see how he is feeling Monday to get a further idea of his availability.
It's the second time this season Pickett hasn't finished a game; he suffered a knee injury in the second half of the Steelers' Week 4 loss to the Houston Texans. Backup Mitch Trubisky replaced Pickett on Sunday, going 10-of-16 for 73 yards.
Prior to his injury, Pickett was 10-of-16 for 73 yards along with one 10-yard rush.
Fitzpatrick suffered a hamstring injury early in the first quarter. The safety, who leads the Steelers with 54 total tackles, walked off the field slowly under his own power after going down on the Jaguars' second series. He was briefly evaluated in the blue sideline injury tent before going back to the locker room. He was initially ruled doubtful to return but was downgraded to out with 4:27 remaining in the first quarter.
Though Fitzpatrick doesn't have an interception this season, he has been key in slowing down the running game, saving big runs from becoming touchdowns.
"Man, it's tough because Minkah is one of those guys that he's not only a guy that you can plug any and everywhere," Steelers cornerback Patrick Peterson said. "He's the guy that can communicate through the guys on the back end. So it is a little different when you don't have the leader of our secondary back there with us, the main communicator back there with us.
"But now other guys got to have opportunities to show what they have. And I hate to say this, but another man's loss could be another man's treasure. So whoever's number is called, hopefully they can hold up long enough until [Fitzpatrick] can get back."
Fitzpatrick is at least the third Steelers player to miss time with a hamstring injury this season. Tight end Pat Freiermuth was placed on injured reserve after aggravating a hamstring injury, while wide receiver Diontae Johnson went on IR after suffering a hamstring injury in Pittsburgh's Week 1 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.