Steelers WR George Pickens caught 29 passes on 46 targets for 487 yards and three touchdowns in his first six games with Russell Wilson. He then missed three games with an injury before catching four passes for 50 yards in his final two. He saw 13 targets from Wilson in those two games, the inefficiency becoming a hindrance to the offense. Last night, he caught one pass on six targets for zero yards, with three drops.
It has onlookers wondering if something is amiss. Is Pickens simply rusty after missing three games with a soft-tissue injury? Does he just need to work to get back on the same page with Wilson? Even former Steelers S Ryan Clark sees something going on contributing to their poor rapport.
“Remember the optimism when Russell Wilson took over at the quarterback position, when he was able to push the football down the field, when the run game played into the play-action game?”, Clark asked Scott Van Pelt on ESPN after the Steelers’ loss to the Bengals last night. “George Pickens was seeming to ascend amongst the top-tier wide receivers. George misses those three games. He’s been back for two. There’s something off between the two of them, the quarterback and George Pickens”.
Pickens was putting up Pro Bowl numbers with Wilson prior to his injury. Extrapolated over a full season, their first six games together would have produced an 82-1,380-8 stat line. Instead, he finished the season pacing for 72-1,093-4 had he played all 17 games. Those aren’t the numbers the Steelers want to commit top-10 dollars to.
Now, I should say that George Pickens’ 1-for-6 day had very little to do with his connection with Russell Wilson. He dropped about three balls, one due to contact, one deep, and one just bad. None of that had to do with chemistry, but clearly, there is “something off”, as Clark said. But is it between the receiver and quarterback, or is the receiver just having issues getting back on track?
“In his opportunities today, [George Pickens] didn’t capitalize”, Clark said. “Then he has the out-and-up late in the game where we get a little pressure and now Russell Wilson doesn’t hit him. How is that relationship gonna be throughout this week? How will they find a way to connect if they do have to go to Baltimore”?
Whether or not there is anything amiss with their on-field connection, it could be fair to question the interpersonal dynamic between Pickens and Wilson this week after a rough stretch. By all accounts, they seem to like each other just fine. Wilson has been very encouraging and supportive of Pickens, as a matter of fact.
The bottom line is the Steelers aren’t going to do anything in the playoffs if they don’t get a lot more out of both Russell Wilson and George Pickens. Whatever is hampering their ability to transfer the football from one to the other, something needs to change, and fast. But, quite frankly, it may just come down to a playmaker needing to make plays.
