The availability of WR George Pickens could have a ripple effect on the Pittsburgh Steelers and their playoff viability as the regular season comes to a close. Their spot in the tournament is pretty safe at this point, but whether they are hosting a game as the AFC North champions or on the road as a wild-card team could make a big difference in how far they get.
According to Steelers insider Mark Kaboly, Pickens could miss a couple games.
“I know there’s been reports about Grade 2 strains and, I mean, I think there’s even degrees to that. I just don’t understand the concept of leading up to it of potentially him may or may not be playing,” Kaboly said Tuesday via 93.7 The Fan’s Morning Show “[Mike] Tomlin might have been playing a little game on CBS Sports before that because he should have known that, and I assume he did know that before 10:30 when he walked in and talked to Tracy Wolfson. Considering his past, and I’m talking about Tomlin, he’s probably gonna wait longer than maybe necessary.
“So he’s gonna tell you week to week, day to day right now. But I wouldn’t anticipate him playing for a couple weeks, and I don’t even know if you need him right now.”
Certainly, if you had to choose between having Pickens for the playoffs or having him now, you would choose the latter every time. But his absence now could complicate the Steelers’ path in the playoffs. Instead of being one of the top three seeds in the AFC and hosting a playoff game or two, the Steelers could end up on the road against the Buffalo Bills or Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card round.
The Eagles game on Sunday is the least important game remaining other than staying in the mix for a potential No. 1 seed and first-round bye, but the Ravens game the following week is massively important. If the Steelers beat the Eagles, they clinch a playoff spot, but if they beat the Ravens they clinch the AFC North and would very likely end up the No. 3 seed at worst.
The Steelers won Sunday and scored 27 points against the Cleveland Browns, but their offense didn’t exactly have a stellar performance. Just look at the total EPA and the success rates for Week 14 across the league, per TruMedia on X. The Steelers had one of the worst offenses of the week. That can be good enough to beat the Cleveland Browns but likely not the Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens, or Kansas City Chiefs.
The way that Tomlin has approached multiple injuries this season, like Nick Herbig, Russell Wilson, and others, should inform us how he might approach George Pickens’ hamstring injury. It’s best to play it safe to have him for the postseason, but that could shake up a lot for the Steelers when it comes to their playoff seeding.
