After being under fire all week for his lack of effort against the Indianapolis Colts and then tone-deaf comments to the media about his lack of effort and wanting to avoid injury, Pittsburgh Steelers second-year wide receiver George Pickens responded in a big way.
Pickens hauled in a slant route from quarterback Mason Rudolph on the second play from scrimmage and raced home 86 yards, rewarding the Steelers for keeping faith in him.
It was Rudolph’s first throw of the game, and it was right on the money, hitting Pickens on a slant route in stride on the left side. Pickens then ran away from defenders, racing home for the game’s opening touchdown.
Pickens beat cornerback Chidobe Awuzie off the line and then was able to erase the angle from the safety after the catch. Sprinting through the middle of the Bengals’ defense for the first touchdown of the game, he ignited the home crowd at Acrisure Stadium.
In Week 15 against the Colts, Pickens didn’t block on a 1st-and-goal play from the 7-yard line, which was a Jaylen Warren run. Pickens’ defender ended up making the tackle. Then, on Tuesday Pickens stated he didn’t want to get hurt and that the criticism of him was coming people who “never played football.”
Those comments led to head coach Mike Tomlin having to address the media Wednesday, which is an extreme rarity. Pickens wasn’t going to be benched or punished with playing time by the Steelers and Tomlin, which raised eyebrows. But he rewarded them Saturday with the 86-yard touchdown to open the game.
That shows just how talented he is. I’s also maddening that the talent is very clearly there but the work ethic and attitude remain a work in progress.
According to Next Gen Stats, Pickens reached a top speed of 21.54 MPH after the catch, which was the fastest time by a Steelers ball carrier since 2017.
