Brooke Pryor, ESPN Staff Writer
PITTSBURGH — With 20 seconds and 60 yards left before the Pittsburgh Steelers would lose their fourth straight game or make a miraculous comeback, quarterback Russell Wilson threw a signature deep pass to George Pickens.
However, like the three previous throws to Pickens, this one fell incomplete as it bounced off the receiver’s outstretched hand and onto the turf. Pickens beat Mann, but the pass was too long for the wide receiver to adjust in time.
Pickens leapt backwards to meet the ball late, falling to the turf and rolling to rest in a fetal position on the sideline.
It was a fitting penultimate play for a duo that wasn’t on the same page for much of the Steelers’ 19-17 regular-season loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday.
Pickens didn’t speak to the media after the loss, but had his worst game of the season with one catch for one yard, zero yards and three drops on five targets. He also appeared to become agitated toward a fan in the stands behind the Steelers’ sideline late in the game, and when tight end Pat Freiermuth tried to calm him down, he yelled across the bench. He gestured and pointed.
Still, Wilson expressed confidence in the Steelers’ mercurial 2022 second-round pick after the game.
“I believe in George,” Wilson said. “Listen, everything isn’t always perfect for everyone. This is an imperfect match and all that. I believe in George, I believe in George. , believe in who he is, believe in who he is.
“He’s been a star for us all season and obviously he’s going to be a game-changer for us in the playoffs. I’m looking forward to it and seeing what he can do and what we can do together. I’m looking forward to seeing if it can be done. And I’m not. If there are people who believe in George, I definitely do. ”
Before Saturday’s final regular-season game, Pickens’ lowest performance of the season was three catches on seven targets for 26 yards in Week 5 against the Indianapolis Colts with Justin Fields at quarterback. But in the seven games Wilson was quarterback, Pickens averaged 76 yards per game. He also caught three touchdown passes from Wilson during that stretch, the last one in a Week 13 win over the Bengals, catching three passes on six targets for 74 yards. Obtained.
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Asked about Pickens’ instability, Wilson cited the wide receiver missing three games due to a hamstring injury. Pickens missed Weeks 14 through 16 and returned in the loss to the Chiefs on Christmas Day, catching three of seven targets for 50 yards.
“I was out for three weeks, so it feels like I haven’t played in forever,” Wilson said. “I mean, it’s hard to put all this together and look back and go, ‘Oh, he hasn’t played in five weeks.'” Well, he missed three of those games. Last week didn’t go my way for some reason, and tonight it definitely didn’t go my way. And I think that sometimes things don’t go the way you want for a great player.
“But if there are people who believe in George, I believe. I have no hesitation in throwing the football to him. I want to know what he can do and what he can do for us and our football team and others. Think about what it means for our players.”
But Wilson targeted Pickens only once through nearly three-quarters of Saturday night.
“I think the game unfolded naturally,” Wilson said, rejecting the idea that Pickens was not involved because he was used as a decoy.
On the Steelers’ second play, Wilson targeted Pickens with a quick screen early, but cornerback Josh Newton slipped past Ben Skowronek to break up the play.
Wilson did not target Pickens again until five minutes left in the third quarter. That’s when Pickens dropped the ball as cornerback DJ Ivey chased him.
“Everyone guarding him ate today,” Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt said. “They didn’t do anything. So that was good for us, dude. That’s what gets them momentum. And we didn’t let them get momentum. ”
