Pittsburgh Steelers WR George Pickens posted his first 100-yard game of the season on Sunday, though he is still looking for his first touchdown. He had one earlier in the season, negated by a penalty. And he had a good shot at one that would have counted this past Sunday, but he couldn’t hang on.
Pickens also saw a season-high 11 targets during the game, of which he caught seven, for 113 receiving yards. Among them were two deep completions for 37 and 38 yards, respectively, giving him four of 30-plus on the year.
But while he put up good numbers on the stat sheet, Pickens knows he still has things to clean up. The most obvious is his fumble, which he didn’t want to talk about. When asked multiple times earlier this week, he would only say that he was focusing on the Cowboys.
He has a history of not reacting well to criticism, but this is actually one of his better efforts. Either way, QB Russell Wilson sees a bounce-back game for Pickens on deck against Dallas. The two have hardly even worked together this year, Justin Fields starting now, but Wilson is Mr. Unlimited Media Access.
“George [Pickens] is a heck of a competitor”, Wilson said, via the Steelers’ website. “He’s got tremendous talent. He had a great practice today. I’m excited for him to rebound this week and have an unbelievable game this game. I know it means a lot to him, and he means a lot to us”.
Pickens is far and away the Steelers’ primary target in the passing game, which is why we’re talking Davante Adams. Justin Fields seemingly looks his way as his first read every play, and on critical downs. That includes at the goal line, though he went 0-for-2 on his two targets there.
While Pickens had that one drop in the end zone, his other incompletion is a credit to the defense. It’s also a credit to the officiating crew, which decided not to penalize Samual Womack for pass interference. But it’s okay, because Fields ran in for the touchdown on the next play. And then he did it again on the play after Pickens’ drop, too.
On the season, George Pickens has 20 catches for 284 yards, but is still looking for the end zone. He ranks 13th in the NFL in receiving yards, and is probably near the top in lost receiving yards via penalty. But his costly fumble, which cost the Steelers at least three points, can’t happen again.
Russell Wilson took leadership during the game after Pickens’ fumble, along with Broderick Jones, both of whom had a talk with him as he displayed his frustrations. While it’s good that they are helping him control his emotions, he also needs to avoid the mistakes that trigger those emotions. He already has two drops this year and a fumble through four games.
