George Pickens had a rough night in every sense of the word.
The Pittsburgh Steelers delivered a poor showing on Sunday Night Football in Week 5. Facing a heavily-injured Dallas Cowboys team, many expected Mike Tomlin’s squad to perform better.
Unfortunately, the offense struggled mightily. Drive after drive stalled, and by halftime, the Steelers had managed only three points.
Things didn’t improve much in the second half. A promising opening drive in the third quarter quickly fizzled out, and Pittsburgh fell back into bad habits. Justin Fields completed just 15 of 27 passes for 131 yards as the Steelers lost 20-17.
A major factor in Pittsburgh’s offensive woes was the lackluster play of George Pickens. The Steelers’ top receiver finished with only 3 catches for 26 yards on 7 targets.
After the game, Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis mocked Pickens, joking about Pittsburgh needing a receiver and calling Pickens “weak.”
This was far from what was expected from the Steelers’ top receiver. Despite missing All-Pro cornerback DaRon Bland, the Cowboys had no trouble shutting down Pickens and Pittsburgh’s passing game.
More troubling than Pickens’ poor performance was his limited usage and questionable attitude.
Emotional George Pickens struggles in Steelers’ Week 5 loss
The Steelers’ snap distribution was puzzling. Van Jefferson played 47 of 58 offensive snaps, while Calvin Austin saw the field for 44 snaps. Pickens, however, only played 34 snaps in Week 5 against the Cowboys.
This led to fan speculation about whether Pickens had fallen out of favor with the coaching staff. Mike Tomlin attributed it to “snap management.”
I’m not convinced.
Pickens had a bad game. He let a few passes slip through his hands, his body language was off, and his effort seemed lacking. He capped off the night by yanking on Jourdan Lewis’ facemask after a play had ended.
Pickens also went viral for a message on his eye black that featured some inappropriate words.
Pickens did everything wrong in this game. If these outbursts continue, and if he’s truly in the doghouse, the Steelers will find it hard to trust him moving forward.
