If one thing was made apparent Sunday during a 27-13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Pittsburgh Steelers miss WR George Pickens. Sitting out his second-straight game with a hamstring injury, the Steelers’ passing game did little damage. The other wide receivers caught just five passes, and the offense had just one completion, which required a flea-flicker, gain more than 17 yards.
In a race against time on a short week, Pickens’ availability for Saturday’s AFC North showdown against the Baltimore Ravens is unknown. Speaking to reporters postgame, QB Russell Wilson said Pickens is working hard for a speedy recovery.
“George is doing everything he can to get back,” Wilson said via the team website. “Obviously he’s a tremendous competitor.”
Pickens was anxious to play in last Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns, Hard Knocks cameras capturing his eagerness to re-take the field. He suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain following a Thursday practice, a freak injury worse than the team first assumed. Still expecting him to play an hour before kicking off against the Browns last Sunday, Pickens was a last-second scratch.
While Pittsburgh’s offense did enough to beat Cleveland, the red-hot Eagles proved to be a different story. The little time the Steelers had the ball, the passing game struggled. Wilson threw for just 128 yards while his wide receivers caught only seven passes.
Though honest about the team’s poor performance, Wilson expressed confidence in the healthy group of wide receivers.
“We got guys that we trust,” he said. “Obviously trust Calvin, I trust Van and trust Scotty. I trust Big Mike. I trust Muth. All those guys.”
Calvin Austin III finished the day leading the Steelers in receptions (five) and yards (65). Pat Freiermuth caught the only touchdown pass, a strong-handed snare near the end of the first half. Mike Williams hauled in one pass for 15 yards on an unsuccessful third-and-forever while Van Jefferson and Scotty Miller combined for one reception for 0 yards on three targets.
Wilson acknowledged that Pickens’ return would be huge for the passing game. It’s unclear when that’ll happen. On a short week and playing a critical AFC North game against the Baltimore Ravens next Saturday, it’d be reasonable if Pickens was again inactive. Reports indicate the Steelers have hope he can play. But if not, they’ll need to come up with a better plan than crossing their fingers.
