George Pickens, the star of the Pittsburgh Steelers, was visibly upset on Thursday after a loss by three points to the New England Patriots.
The Steelers offensive production has been widely discussed this season, prompting longtime head coach Mike Tomlin to move on from offensive coordinator Matt Canada earlier this season. Mitch Trubisky filled in for the injured Kenny Pickett, but the offensive woes continued. Pittsburgh only managed to score 18 points and produced less than 50 yards of total offense around the midway point of the second quarter.
Pickens didn’t have his best performance on Thursday and finished with just 19 receiving yards. Tomlin seemed to have delivered some “choice” words to Pickens after he showed a lackluster performance during a running play.
Al Michaels, the play-by-play broadcaster, said that Tomlin had some choice words to say about Pickens.
Kirk Herbstreit, a commentator, responded: “Yes. He’s communicating that it’s important for him to demonstrate some maturity and continue fighting.”
Herbstreit also suggested that Pickens’ teammates would not be happy with the receiver’s lack of effort on a play where he knew he was not getting the football.
Herbstreit stated, “He is kind of taking off the play.” It sends me a message, and it also sends a signal to your team. When it comes to blocking and effort, I pay attention to receivers.
It’s like the heartbeat of the team. “That’s a bad look.”
Pickens intercepted the pass that was thrown to him. He caught five out of six passes thrown at him.
Pickens, clearly frustrated after the Steelers failed on a play inside the red zone sat down in the yellow paint of the end zone.
George Pickens is going through it.pic.twitter.com/Wgkr2FPohg
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 8, 2023
Pickens was also seen in the cameras having an alleged heated exchange with his Steelers teammates.
Diontae, a Steelers receiver, said that he had tried to “keep Pickens’ head in the game.”
He’s probably frustrated. Johnson, after the 21-18 defeat, said that his job was to continue telling him to keep playing. You never know when you’re going to get an opportunity, so you can’t let a bad play define you.
“I’m there for him all the time, keeping his energy and his mind in the game, while we need him. You may not be able to make a move if your energy level is low and you receive the ball. But he will be fine.”
Johnson was also criticized for his apparent lack of effort in games. Pickett passed the ball to Jaylin in the first quarter. Warren fumbled it, but Bengals cornerback DJ Turner II was able to recover it.
NFL fans who watched the Steelers vs. Bengals game noticed that Johnson didn’t block while running and was nonchalant when Turner recovered the ball.
Steelers playoff hopes were severely damaged on Thursday after the team lost two consecutive games. Pittsburgh will look to get back on track in Week 15 when it takes on the Colts, who are gaining momentum.
