The Pittsburgh Steelers hit a major explosive play touchdown Monday night with QB Kenny Pickett finding WR George Pickens for a 71-yard catch-and-run to give the Steelers a 16-11 lead with 6:05 left in the first half. It was one of the only signs of life from Pittsburgh’s offense, but it was a play that helped the Steelers secure a 26-22 win over the Cleveland Browns. After the game, Pickens, and Pickett discussed the play.
“I think they played [Cover] Two invert, left the middle of the field open, and that’s when I just struck. We see it all the time in practice, but it’s just a greater feeling when it’s in the game,” Pickens said via Chris Adamski of TribLive.
Cover Two invert is a variation off a Tampa 2 defense that has the safety take on some of the linebacker’s responsibilities over the middle of the field. Pickens was able to find space over the top of the zone and put a move on CB Martin Emerson Jr. before turning on the jets for a touchdown.
Pickett also complimented TE Pat Freiermuth for winning his route and leaving Pickens open.
“Pat did a good job running his over, G won on the route, just had to put a ball there for [Pickens] and he did the rest. It was a good play for us,” Pickett said via the team’s YouTube channel.
He also emphasized the need to continue to feed Pickens.
“Whenever we had that opportunity one-on-one, I really wanted to get him the ball and let him do his thing,” Pickett said. “So that’s something we gotta continue to take advantage of, getting him singled up, moving him around, being creative and finding ways to get him the football.”
It was a career game for Pickens, as he set a personal best with 127 yards on four receptions, stepping up with WR Diontae Johnson sidelined by a hamstring injury. It was a much-needed performance out of the second-year wideout, and that play was huge for a struggling Steelers offense.
The offense didn’t do much else, with that play being the Steelers’ only offensive touchdown. But it was a big one and it was the team’s longest touchdown since the 2020 season, when WR Chase Claypool took a screen pass 80 yards to the house against the Denver Broncos in Week Three. It was also the longest pass of Pickett’s career, although it was Pickens who did most of the work with the catch and run.
Pickens emphasized the need to get yards after the catch all offseason, and he showed that he’s more than capable of doing so with that score today. With Johnson out, his role in the offense becomes a whole lot bigger, and he’s going to need to perform the way he did today over the next three weeks with Johnson on IR.
If Pickens can continue to create splash, that will be a huge help to Pittsburgh’s struggling offense. Pickett tried to get him the ball today — he had 10 targets — but the Browns did a good job defending him. With matchups against the Las Vegas Raiders and Houston Texans coming up, two teams whose cornerbacks aren’t as talented as the Browns, getting Pickens the ball and letting him make plays needs to continue to be an emphasis, as Pickett talked about.
While it wasn’t the best offensive performance, Pickens’ touchdown was huge, and the Steelers got the win. That’s the most important thing, and they’ll feel a whole lot better tomorrow sitting at 1-1 instead of 0-2.
