George Pickens didn’t have as crazy of a stat line as he did in Week 7, but he still made multiple big plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 8. The game against the New York Giants was closer than it should’ve been, and part of that was because Pickens had two touchdown catches called back. One was due to a penalty on Broderick Jones, and the other was an unbelievable play where one of his feet didn’t come down in bounds. It sounds like Russell Wilson badly wanted those plays to count for Pickens.
“He’s a special player, George [Pickens],” Wilson said after the game via the team’s YouTube channel. “We’ve got all the belief in the world in him and what he can do. He had a great night tonight. I wish he had those two touchdowns back. Those were really special plays by him. We’ll catch up those and get those back.”
The first play came on the opening drive for the Steelers’ offense. Pickens came free on a beautiful route in the end zone, with Wilson rolling right to find him. It felt like the perfect way to cap off their opening drive. The tone was being set for the Steelers to dominate. However, Jones got called for grabbing a defender’s facemask, and the Steelers ended up being forced to settle for a field goal.
The second play is even more crushing. It came in the middle of the second quarter, with the game tied at 6-6. The Steelers had an impressive drive going once again, but they were stumbling in the red zone. On 3rd-and-8, Wilson found Pickens for a touchdown, with the receiver showing incredible concentration to hold on to the ball. However, it was revealed that he didn’t get both feet down.
It could be argued that Pickens couldn’t have done anything better on either play. He really has no blame for the first one. The second one seemed more like an insane play by the defense to push him out of bounds. It was a tough catch to make, and while you could say he should’ve made sure to drag his feet, that’s easier said than done.
Wilson likely wants those plays back so badly because they aren’t the first touchdowns Pickens has had taken away from him this year. He should’ve scored against the Denver Broncos in Week 2, but a penalty by one of his teammates wiped out a great effort. Pickens has had a handful of incredible plays called back due to factors outside of his control.
It sounds like Wilson is intent on continuing to feed Pickens, though. Their connection has been special through two weeks now. Pickens had some seriously low moments this year, but Wilson seems to believe in his talents. Hopefully that leads to more production in the future.
