The Jacksonville Jaguars aren’t done talking. Not by a longshot. After netting a 20-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday afternoon, they’re letting WR George Pickens and the Steelers know about it. Following a week of back-and-forth between both sides, the Jags’ secondary is offering future advice for Pickens.
“He needs some advice moving forward,” safety Andrew Wingard said via 1010 XL Radio. “You never put pressure on yourself…he did that…you don’t fire up a bunch of hungry dogs. So George, do better.”
Jacksonville started things off with a simmer when S Rayshawn Jenkins told reporters last week that Pickens hadn’t seen cornerbacks of the Jaguars’ caliber yet. Pickens clearly heard that and fired back by taking a shot at Jacksonville’s secondary. He called the Jaguars a “hope” defense where the defensive backs hope the pass rush makes enough plays for them.
But it was Jacksonville’s secondary that had the better afternoon. Even minus a pair of starters in S Andre Cisco and CB Tyson Campbell, Pickens was held to just one catch for 22 yards. It did find the end zone, Wingard taking the blame for allowing it, but his day otherwise was incredibly quiet.
Overall, the Jaguars’ defense held the Steelers to just 10 points. Pittsburgh had zero running game and turned the ball over twice, including a crucial fourth-quarter interception when the game still hung in the balance. The Steelers trailed the entire game, only managing a field goal by halftime, and they were again abysmal on third downs, now 29 percent over their last two weeks.
Wingard was the man who picked off backup QB Mitch Trubisky. To celebrate, they snagged a couple of Terrible Towels in the end zone, mockingly twirling them around.
Jenkins told Pickens he’ll learn how to handle the media as he grows up.
“He’s a young player,” Jenkins said. “You can’t chat before the game. You gotta go out there and walk the walk.”
Since the game clock at Acrisure Stadium hit zero, the Jaguars have done nothing but troll Pickens. Their Twitter page took a shot at him. Jenkins has gotten his digs in. The truth is both sides talked a little smack before the game. But it was the Jaguars who backed it up. And when you do, you get to dunk on the other one. Jacksonville’s definitely getting its money’s worth out of it.
