The Pittsburgh Steelers reportedly have some optimism about George Pickens being available for their Christmas Day game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Whether he actually plays remains to be seen. And even if he does, he could be limited, either in snaps or in capability.
And the Steelers aren’t stupid—they know how much they have missed Pickens on the field. While they managed to exploit the Browns without him, they have since lost two games in a row. And the passing game has struggled. Even when he isn’t putting up big numbers, he affects the rest of the offense. Mike Tomlin was asked about his impact yesterday.
“I think it’s self-explanatory. [George Pickens] is a splash playmaker. He’s a one-on-one playmaker”, Tomlin said, via the Steelers’ website. “Oftentimes he controls schematics, which creates one-on-ones for others, or a light box regarding the run. But that’s what talented, outside people do. Not only George, but anybody that has talented outside people. [Xavier] Worthy will do some of the same things to us”.
Through 12 games, Pickens caught 55 passes for 850 yards and three touchdowns. While he wasn’t finding the end zone the way he or the Steelers would have liked, the potential was there. Having now missed three games, his numbers are trailing other receivers, but prior to his hamstring injury, he ranked inside the top 10. He was finally putting up Pro Bowl-type numbers.
In the three games Pickens has missed, Russell Wilson is 51-of-81 for 503 yards with five touchdowns and one interception. While not catastrophic, his 168 yards per game is telling. For more context, he averaged 271 yards in his six games with Pickens. His other numbers were pretty similar.
Put simply, the Steelers struggle to move the ball efficiently without the threat of George Pickens on the field. Calvin Austin III or some other player will make a key catch here and there, but they lack consistency without him.
It’s not as if they don’t know this—that’s why they put up with as much as they do from him. Or at least, that’s how it appears based on all the reports—and what we see ourselves. Pickens might not be the ideal professional, but he can certainly play football.
And quite frankly, it’s hard to see the Steelers beating the Chiefs without Pickens playing some football. Now, Kansas City might have some key injuries, as well, but they’re getting healthier at wide receiver. They just got back Hollywood Brown while the Steelers are just hoping they have Pickens.
