Seven plays after stumbling and falling down on a 51-yard pick-six by Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt on what could have been called a penalty, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens answered in a big way with a touchdown of his own.
Pickens hauled in a short screen pass on the left side of the offense, slipped around a great block from Steelers wide receiver Ben Skowronek and raced home for a 17-yard touchdown, tying the game at 7-7.
Take a look.
Following the pick-six, the Steelers didn’t blink, marching 70 yards in seven plays, leaning heavily on running back Najee Harris on the drive.
Harris had three receptions for 38 yards on the drive, including a pivotal 25-yard gain on 3rd and 2 to keep the Steelers on track offensively. Harris later exited the series with an injury, but he helped put the Steelers in great position, setting up Pickens’ 17-yard touchdown.
On the screen pass, Pickens got a great block from Skowronek, who took out two Bengals defenders, giving Pickens the corner. From there, Pickens was able to step through a tackle attempt and skipped into the end zone.
Pickens has been under fire over the last week or so after his quiet showing against the Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football, along with his Hail Mary scuffle with Browns CB Greg Newsome II, his comments that the Browns aren’t a good team after the loss, and then his interaction with the media late last week.
But on Sunday, Pickens started fast and got the Steelers on the board, bouncing back from a tough start offensively.
