Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens spent plenty of time on the bench during a 20-17 loss the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday. Not just because the Cowboys controlled the clock and kept the Steelers’ offense off the field but because the team chose to keep Pickens sidelined. Playing a season-low 34 snaps and equally low 59 percent of the Steelers’ offensive plays, Pickens says his reps are dictated by OC Arthur Smith, not himself.
“Nah, it’s not on me,” Pickens said via 93.7 The Fan. “It’s all up to Art.”
Safe to assume he’s referring to Smith here and not Art Rooney II. Smith will be speaking to the media shortly and will undoubtedly be asked about Pickens’ reps, play, and attitude.
As we explained earlier in the week, Pickens played 100 percent of the team’s 11-personnel snaps. Where his snaps dropped were in heavy packages that featured multiple tight ends. There, he played only two of 26 reps. While a decrease from his usual work, it’s been common for the team to reduce his snaps in those packages throughout the year. He entered the Cowboys game playing only 56 percent of those heavy-personnel packages and in Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons, he was down to 40 percent.
In a media scrum that only lasted a couple minutes, according to ESPN’s Brooke Pryor, Pickens accepted that his reduced role was part of the plan drummed up by Smith and the offensive coaching staff.
“It’s just part of the game plan,” he said in a now-deleted tweet from Pryor.
Even when on the field, the Steelers struggled to get Pickens the football, and he struggled to make the most of his chances. He had just two first-half targets and finished the game with only three catches. He had a critical third-down drop that prevented Pittsburgh from getting near field-goal range following DL Isaiahh Loudermilk’s blocked field goal. The Steelers punted and the Cowboys came back with a long touchdown drive to take the lead.
Looking to avoid a three-game losing streak, the Steelers will need Pickens on the field and producing. The Raiders’ pass defense has been middling this season but was handled by Bo Nix in their Week 5 loss to the Denver Broncos, the rookie throwing for over 200 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. If Pittsburgh and Pickens can get back to their winning ways, these stories won’t be magnified the way they are after losses.
