Steelers' George Pickens Promises Media To Keep Receipts After Sensational Outing

The Pittsburgh Steelers went into their 2023 Week 16 game against the Cincinnati Bengals without much confidence, considering the three-game losing streak they were on. With Mason Rudolph starting at quarterback and the defense fielding a patchwork secondary, everything seemed stacked against the Steelers. Thanks to a full team effort, Pittsburgh emerged victorious against the Bengals, with George Pickens exploding for a ridiculous 195 yards and two touchdowns on just four catches. Despite Pickens' amazing night, his comments following the game proved that while he has talent, there is still plenty of room for growth regarding his accountability.

Steelers' Pickens Refuses To Take Responsibility

Following a pathetic effort against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 15, Pickens spent the week making things much worse for himself. Not only was Pickens caught not blocking for Jaylen Warren during the loss to the Colts, every comment he made afterward only dug the hole deeper for the second-year receiver.

After putting up Madden-like numbers in Week 16, the Steelers young player opened his postgame press conference by addressing the situation that had been surrounding Pittsburgh during the lead-up to the Saturday game against Indianapolis. Unfortunately, rather than owning up to his lack of effort and subsequent immature responses to the media, Pickens decided the best course of action was to praise his own performance.

"Yeah, I know I made some comments, you know, before the week that kind of, you know, ticked you guys off, but I just wanna say, you know, I'm just here to win, and, you know, make the proper adjustments and be a great player, to be honest."

At first, it seemed like Pickens was preparing for an apology, but that was quickly put to rest as he clarified that he was just there to win games and then threw in that he also needed to make some personal adjustments as an afterthought. Nothing about his attitude or demeanor showed any true remorse; instead, it was like Pickens felt justified in his comments thanks to the performance he had just displayed against the Colts. Pickens was then asked about the discussions that had happened with Mike Tomlin, and with yet another chance to show some vulnerability, the second-year receiver did the opposite.

"He was, like, always how he is. He didn't really say much to me, just told me to, you know, keep my head down and keep working, and that's something, like I said, I pride myself on personally, so that's pretty much what I did."

So, apparently, the one thing that Tomlin had spoken to Pickens about improving was something that the young athlete was already great at, according to his comments, at least. Despite proof that he has put in subpar efforts this season, Pickens wants everyone to believe that not only is it under control, it's a point of pride. There seems to be a disconnect between reality and what Pickens believes is going on, and while talent is great, the lack of awareness is concerning. To top it all off, when Pickens was asked what he would take away from all of this, his response was hardly one that inspired confidence in Pickens' growth. 

"I probably just say, I kept receipts for sure, but you know, guys and people just got a job to do. That's probably the biggest thing I'll take out of it."

Rather than learning about effort and when to hold his tongue, Pickens apparently learned that the media has a job to do, and that is about it. Every near-apology stopped well short of actually apologizing, with Pickens making sure to add his own disclaimers about his greatness and the supposed receipts he is keeping. To have sustained success in the NFL, Pickens is going to need maturity to go along with that healthy-sized ego.

Steelers Keep Postseason Hopes Barely Alive

Whether you believe that the 2023 Steelers should make the playoffs, Saturday's victory over the Bengals ensured that the playoffs are within reach for another week at least. In a must-win game, Pittsburgh put together the first full-team effort of the 2023 season and actually looked like a dangerous offense.

Entering Week 16, few people had much faith in Rudolph to lead the Steelers to a December divisional win. With nothing to lose and everything to prove, Rudolph went out and surprised the league with a quarterback performance the Steelers haven't seen since Ben Roethlisberger. Whether it is another one-week fluke or sustainable is yet to be seen, but considering how low the expectations were, winning in this fashion has to feel good.

With two games left on the 2023 Steelers' schedule, their road to the playoffs is rough but not completely out of sight. They will need some help from a few other teams, but they checked off the first box, which was simply to win. If the Steelers can string together two more wins, one against the division-leading Baltimore Ravens, then perhaps that Tomlin magic so many are doubting will have a say after all.

Should Mason Rudolph be the Steelers' quarterback for the final two games of 2023? 

#SteelerNation