With Pittsburgh Steelers WR George Pickens officially ruled out for the team’s Week 16 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday, the Steelers are once again going to be shorthanded in the passing game. The two games Pickens has missed has seen the Pittsburgh attack struggle a bit, as QB Russell Wilson has thrown for under 160 yards in both games. Despite Pickens being out, ESPN’s Mike Tannenbaum said on Get Up this morning that the Steelers will win due to the struggles of the Baltimore secondary. Former Ravens LB Bart Scott challenged Tannenbaum, mentioning Pittsburgh’s lack of weapons.
“Calvin Austin [III], come on. We’re not afraid of Calvin Austin,” Scott said.
Later, Tannenbaum repeated his point and said Wilson’s deep ball will be the “great equalizer” against Baltimore, to which Scott then again questioned Pittsburgh’s receiving options.
“To who?”
With Pickens out, the Steelers will rely more heavily on TE Pat Freiermuth, and also Austin, who led the team with five receptions for 65 yards in Week 15 against the Eagles. Austin has had flashes and put together a few solid games this season. He has 28 receptions for 452 yards and four touchdowns this season, and the Steelers might look to him deep against the Ravens. His speed is an asset, and he’s Pittsburgh’s best option to get behind the defense and try and create an explosive play, which the Steelers are going to have to do to win the game.
In Pittsburgh’s first matchup against Baltimore, Austin had just one reception for -1 yards, but there’s little doubt he’ll be more of a featured piece of their aerial attack this week. Scott may be right that the Steelers’ weapons without Pickens aren’t the most exciting, but there’s a lot of veterans who know the importance of this game against Baltimore. The Steelers clinch the AFC North with a win, and the receiving corps is going to have to be ready to step up.
Freiermuth preached about the importance of the game earlier this week, as it’s his first “hat and T-shirt” game since being drafted. Meanwhile WRs like Van Jefferson and Scotty Miller have been pretty reliable when the ball has come their way, and the Steelers could still look to get WR Mike Williams going. While Scott may not think highly of Pittsburgh’s receivers, it’s a group that could surprise on Saturday against a Ravens pass defense that, while improving, still has its cracks.
