No one who supports the Black and Gold is going to be in good spirits after the shellacking the Pittsburgh Steelers took Sunday at the hand of the San Francisco 49ers. The Steelers got blown out 30-7 in their opener, looking overmatched. Their offense struggled to get anything going on the afternoon while the defense got exposed by San Francisco’s offense, surrendering 188 yards on the ground and QB Brock Purdy in control through the air.
All the players were visibly upset after the loss. OLB T.J. Watt refused to celebrate tying Pittsburgh’s franchise sack record while QB Kenny Pickett spoke about needing to get things figured out quickly ahead of next week. WR George Pickens didn’t have much to say, according to Brian Batko of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, telling him he was heading out as he left the locker room after the game.
Pickens was visibly frustrated throughout the contest, wearing his emotions on his sleeve as he sat on the bench as well with his expressions on the field. He wasn’t much of a factor Sunday as he caught five passes on seven targets for just 36 yards at Acrisure. Pickens’ frustration appeared eerily similar to last season when he was visibly upset in a one-catch performance against the Atlanta Falcons. Unlike that game, which Pittsburgh ended up winning, they got blown out in this contest, making things extremely hard for a player who wants to excel on the field and holds winning as such a high priority.
Some have feared since last season’s sideline antics against Atlanta that Pickens could be on the same path of other former Steelers receivers that have allowed their emotions to get the better of them in the past. We have seen similar expressions of emotion from WRs Chase Claypool and Antonio Brown, having a difficult time keeping their composure amidst adversity. However, Pickens is in a different boat as his emotions aren’t directly affecting the team the way that Brown and Claypool did, not expressing his frustrations to the media following the game.
Pickens does need to continue to mature and be able to carry himself as a professional like the other core members of the Steelers do. However, this is an emotional game that can cause great lows if you give so much time and effort just to get blown out as badly as the Steelers did. Pickens is only 22 years old, being a young man still finding his footing in the league. Regardless, it would be good for him to work through those emotions in a more productive way as he has the spotlight on him as a young, talented player many are pegging to have a breakout season.
