The Pittsburgh Steelers have played two games without George Pickens—one went better than the other. Against a garbage Cleveland Browns team, they did enough to win, even efficiently at times. However, they looked lost and listless, facing an actual quality opponent, posting an embarrassingly low yardage total.
This has been building for most of the year since the Steelers traded Diontae Johnson. GM Omar Khan knew then that they had no adequate replacement to start next to George Pickens. They spent the next half-year exploring a variety of high-profile options, coming up virtually empty. All they managed was Mike Williams at the trade deadline, who doesn’t look like he was worth the investment.
“When they acquired Mike Williams, the hope was he could contribute some big plays, but his best days appear to be behind him,” Ray Fittipaldo said in his latest chat session, discussing the Steelers’ offense sans George Pickens. “There’s nothing [Omar] Khan can do at this point except pray Pickens comes back soon and injects some life back into the passing game.”
Pickens suffered a hamstring injury a couple of weeks ago, resulting in his surprise inactive status against the Browns. Subsequent testing revealed a more serious injury, and he missed the Eagles game. While he has started running, he has been ruled out for at least one more game.
Some have suggested the Steelers should rest Pickens until the end of the regular season, with the team already qualifying for the playoffs. However, winning the AFC North would make that a much easier prospect.
In doing so, they would lock up no worse than the fourth seed and a home playoff game. You’re probably looking at the third seed by then. But if the Steelers lose to the Ravens sans Pickens, they could fall as far as the seventh seed. Having George Pickens would certainly help them beat the Ravens—but he simply is not healthy.
Without Pickens, Mike Williams, Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin III, Scotty Miller, and Ben Skowronek do not pose a formidable group. Sure, each of them individually will make a play here and there. But that’s usually with Pickens drawing attention on the other side of the field. With him on the sideline, this is a Mickey Mouse offense.
And the Steelers were aware of this for a long time. For whatever reason, Omar Khan and company never pulled the trigger on a trade before settling on Williams. Perhaps they had higher ambitions for rookie Roman Wilson, whose rookie season they gave up on due to injury.
Either way, the end result is the same: the Steelers hardly have a passing offense without George Pickens. Omar Khan, Mike Tomlin, and the rest of the decision-makers all share in the blame for that. While any team will suffer without its top receiver, the Steelers should look better than this. Tomlin can talk his talk after a win, but it looks foolish when harsh reality stares you in the face.
