Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens played far and away the best game of his NFL career in Pittsburgh’s 34-11 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 16, catching four balls for 195 yards and two touchdowns. It was reminiscent of Randy Moss’ Thanksgiving performance in 1998, when he had three catches for 163 yards and three touchdowns. On NFL Gameday Morning, panelist Chris Rose asked former NFL receiver and current analyst Michael Irvin if Pickens’ performance reminded of him the game, and Irvin said it did while praising Pickens for showing up after a rough week.
“Yes, I did. But I was so happy for this kid right here after taking what he had to take all last week, at his own doing, but he showed up,” Irvin said.
Former NFL defensive lineman Gerald McCoy said the performance explains some of Pickens’ frustration and why he always wants the ball.
“That’s what he can do. That’s why he wants the ball. He knows if he gets the ball in his hand, it’s going to be a show,” McCoy said.
It was certainly a show last night, with Pickens averaging an absurd 48.8 yards per catch, which was the most by a receiver with 4+ receptions since 2010. The Steelers finalized utilized Pickens to his strengths, letting him make plays downfield, and give credit to quarterback Mason Rudolph for picking his spots and giving Pickens a chance to make some plays. Rudolph played the best game we’ve seen a Steelers quarterback play in a long time, and it was because he was smart about when to get aggressive while also knowing when it was best to hit a check down.
We’ll see if Rudolph earns another opportunity to start, but this game should be the moment where Pickens takes that next step. No matter who is under center should see what he’s capable of with the ball in his hands and make an effort to feed him the ball. The offensive coaching staff also has to put him in advantageous positions to succeed, and he can’t be limited with a route tree that limits him to just underneath routes and doesn’t let him take advantage of his full capabilities.
He’s a player who needs to mature, and he can get frustrated too easily. But there’s no doubt that he’s a dynamic talent who makes the Steelers a better team. He’s been underutilized a bit, and a big part of that is poor quarterback play. Rudolph showed last night what’s possible if you just get Pickens the ball, and if the Steelers want to make the playoffs, it’s something they need to do more over the next two games.
