If anyone was questioning whether WR George Pickens is in the midst of a breakout season, those questions were answered on Sunday in Pittsburgh’s 24-17 win on the road against the Los Angeles Rams. Pickens finished with five catches on eight targets for 107 yards, putting Pickens at 27 receptions for 500 yards (18.5 YPR) and two scores on the season.
The return of WR Diontae Johnson to the lineup proved to be a big help for Pickens. Defenses couldn’t solely focus on him like they had in recent weeks, opening him up for more opportunities over the middle of the field. Let’s go through the tape and break down Pickens’ third 100-yard performance on the season, highlighting the plays he made as well as areas he can stand to improve.
The Film
Pittsburgh started the game slow once again, failing to get into the end zone the entire first half. Some of that was due to their inability to capitalize on opportunities afforded to them where they missed chances to convert like on this third-down play on their first drive. QB Kenny Pickett drops back to pass, looking for Pickens coming across the middle. Pickett faces heavy pressure and throws the ball out in front of Pickens, placing it just a little outside. Pickens is just a step behind the pass, resulting in an incompletion. This doesn’t go against Pickens or Pickett due to the pressure and ball placement. It does show how close the offense is at converting these plays early in the game.
Pittsburgh also had some self-inflicted wounds due to penalties in this game, including a big blindside block penalty on Pickens. Watch this play as Johnson catches the underneath pass and finds room to run, working toward the sideline. As Johnson works to get the corner, Pickens comes in and throws his shoulder into S Russ Yeast, who doesn’t see him coming, leveling him to the turf as Johnson passes by. The explosive pass play is wiped out due to the penalty, making the first down go to third and long for Pittsburgh.
It was a bonehead play by Pickens, who talked to Coach Tomlin on the sideline after the play, but he managed to come back in a big way after the mistake. Prior to that penalty, we see Pickens make a first-down catch where he is lined up at the top of your screen against CB Derion Kendrick, giving a quick stutter step on Kendrick before breaking inside on the slant route. Pickens catches the pass and easily gets the first down, running through multiple defenders at the end of the play to pick up a couple of extra yards.
Pickett and Pickens continued to show that the back-shoulder fade was alive and well against the Rams, connecting on it twice in the contest. It has become their go-to play when needing to get some yards in the passing game, being criticized by some but almost automatic when they go to it. Watch the two clips below of Pickens working down the sideline against CB Ahkello Witherspoon, working back to the ball with Witherspoon’s back to the ball for the easy pitch and catch for first-down yardage.
Pickens really came alive in the fourth quarter, making multiple big grabs to move the offense down the field and keep the chain moving as Pittsburgh had two touchdown drives in the final quarter. We see some of Pickens’ subtle footwork on this quick release inside against Witherspoon at the bottom of your screen. Quickly getting separation from the defender, he immediately gets up field to get the first, attempting to spin out of a tackle attempt by Yeast, who ultimately drags Pickens down.
Pickens’ biggest catch of the game came on his final reception, reeling in a 31-yard pass from Pickett after lining up in the slot on 3rd and 3. Pickens streaks down the middle of the field in zone coverage, the Rams leaving him wide open for the catch. Pickens makes the catch but slows his momentum as the ball is behind him, allowing CB Cobie Durant to come in and tackle him near midfield after a big third-down conversion.
 Conclusion
George Pickens had moments where his immaturity came out with his emotions getting the better of him against Los Angeles. But he was able to reel it back in and come up big when Pittsburgh needed it most, making multiple explosive plays down the field in this game. We saw Pickens get a lot of one-on-one opportunities with Johnson back, getting the better of both Witherspoon and Kendrick in man coverage. We also saw Pittsburgh utilize Pickens in the slot while pushing Allen Robinson II outside, giving him an advantageous matchup over the middle on third down, which proved to be a big play, helping Pittsburgh get the go-ahead score.
You must be excited to see Pickens getting the utilization he did on Sunday, being deployed over the middle of the field and in the slot as well as on the signature back-shoulder fade. He still needs to continue to polish his releases as a roue runner, but we got to see Pickens do what he does well and the offense utilize him in ways where he could get open quickly and pick up yards after the catch.
Hopefully the presence of Johnson will continue to free things up for Pickens as he continues his strong sophomore season, looking more and more like a potential WR1. He’s the guy you need to pay attention to as an opposing defense. Should he and Pickett get on the same page earlier in games going forward, we may see bigger performances yet to come from the young wideout.
