The Pittsburgh Steelers knew that wide receiver was going to be one of their most questionable positions going into the 2024 season. This is mainly because of the question marks behind George Pickens in the room, and the group's overall lack of production. Pickens is supposed to be the reliable target in the room, but he hasn't been that so far in 2024. He has shown a poor attitude at times while putting forth what seems to be a lack of effort on the football field.
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Steelers' George Pickens makes a catch against the Cowboys.
Pickens made headlines following Pittsburgh's loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5. It seemed as though the receiver saw a reduction in his snaps, and after the game, he was scrutinized on social media for running lazy routes. Pickens also let out some frustration and committed a personal foul after the game was over, which he was fined for. Pickens appeared on Fox Sports' The Facility on Tuesday, and he was asked point blank about being accused of running lazy routes.
"Yeah, I'll probably just say I wouldn't be here that long. Like I said, career high over a band, five touchdowns. It's only three years, I've only been here three years. So I couldn't be too lazy, you know what I mean. For people saying, 'Oh he's running lazy routes,' I wouldn't be able to be here. I wouldn't be able to get past defensive backs running go balls if I was actually lazy as they say, based off one game. You know, schematics is a lot of it too."
Pickens makes a good point. He wouldn't be here if he was just running lazy routes, but he did see a significant reduction in snaps during that loss to the Cowboys. Fans speculated that he was semi-benched due to poor effort, but Head Coach Mike Tomlin spoke to the media and said that the reduction in snaps was due to load management.
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Steelers' George Pickens (#14) makes a catch against the Baltimore Ravens in Pittsburgh, PA.
Pickens knows he can't be lazy while playing with Pittsburgh, and that shows from some of the crazy catches he has been able to make. The production from Pickens over the last two weeks has been slightly concerning, as he caught just three passes for 26 yards against Dallas and then another three passes for 53 yards in the win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
The third-year receiver should be getting the ball more than three times per game. The team has been targeting him a good amount, he has just been struggling a bit to come down with the ball. He was targeted eight times against Las Vegas and seven times against Dallas, Pickens just needs to make the most out of his opportunities.
Players in the Steelers locker room have been growing tired of the antics that have been seen from Pickens, so hopefully the young wide receiver can turn things around and get his 2024 season back on track.
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Steelers wideout George Pickens gets ready for a regular season game against the New York Jets in 2022.
Steelers' George Pickens Has A Major Test Coming In Week 7
Pickens needs to get back on track, but he will have a hard time doing that in Week 7 against the New York Jets. The Jets have a great group of cornerbacks in Sauce Gardner and DJ Reed, and Pickens will be tested no matter where he lines up. Gardner and Pickens went against each other during their rookie seasons in 2022, but they didn't go at each other too much. Pickens caught six passes for 102 yards, but Gardner only gave up two catches and nine yards in the contest.
This was the first 100-yard game of Pickens' career, and hopefully his success against the Jets continues in Week 7 as it will be no easy feat taking down the Jets. Pickens should be able to have another good game, especially with the possibility of Russell Wilson starting.
What do you think of Pickens' comments on being accused of lazy routes? Let us know in the comments below!
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