Week 5 was not a good one for George Pickens. The game was awful all around for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but Pickens in particular had a rough outing. He finished the game with three catches for 26 yards, and he also dropped a key pass in the Steelers’ 20-17 loss. Pickens also yanked Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis down by his facemask at the end of the game. Cowboys star edge rusher Micah Parsons believes Pickens will certainly be fined for that action.
“This man Pickens is sick,” Parsons said Tuesday on his podcast. “You know they’re going to hit him with that fine. That fine really be the worst part.”
It would be shocking if the league didn’t fine Pickens for his actions. It was clear he and Lewis were talking back and forth all game, so it shouldn’t have come as any surprise when Lewis went to gloat in Pickens’ face after the Cowboys won. Is that good sportsmanship? No, but it doesn’t mean Pickens can grab his facemask and toss him to the ground
Take one look at how Najee Harris responded after the game against the Indianapolis Colts. Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin called Harris soft on Twitter, and Harris gave the best response possible. He didn’t run to social media. He waited a few days for emotions to die down. Then when asked about it, he said Franklin had every right to talk trash because his team won.
That’s the nature of the NFL. To the victor go the spoils. The Cowboys gave the Steelers every chance to win that game, and they couldn’t capitalize. Pickens walked into that game with a strong message written on his eye black too, and he underdelivered. It wouldn’t be shocking if he gets fined for the expletive in that message as well.
That isn’t to say the Steelers should give up on Pickens or that he’s too much of a diva. He’s obviously dealing with some frustration at the moment, but he’s still a young player. If he changes how he responds to situations like this, he could still have a very bright future in the NFL. The Steelers have dealt with receivers who don’t want to change their attitudes though.
It’s just unfortunate because Pickens has all the talent in the world. He’s usually incredible any time he steps on the field. He just can’t let a few bad games define him. He definitely can’t continue to do things like throw other players to the ground. Pickens just needs to pay whatever fine he gets and move on. Hopefully he has a better game in Week 6 and the Steelers can get back on track in Las Vegas.
