Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Calvin Austin III has stepped up in the last two weeks with George Pickens out, but it is quite evident that the Steelers are missing No. 14 in the lineup.
Former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky thinks Pickens is just as important as T.J. Watt to the Steelers. It sounds crazy on the surface, but Orlovsky makes a solid point.
“George Pickens is as equally important to the Steelers as T.J. Watt. Wrap your brain around that,” Orlovsky said on ESPN’s Get Up on Monday. “I mean, T.J. Watt, Defensive Play of the Year. Because Russell’s half the quarterback with him than he is without him. With George Pickens, they have a guy that they can just throw the ball to one-on-one. He’s gonna go make a play. It changes structurally the way defenses are gonna play against them. They just have no shot without George Pickens. With Pickens, they matter with Pickens. Without Pickens, they don’t.”
Pickens injured his hamstring in practice before the Week 13 game against the Cleveland Browns and has yet to return, but he has a “real chance” to play in Wednesday’s crucial game against the 14-1 Kansas City Chiefs.
Wilson threw for a combined 286 yards against the Browns and Philadelphia Eagles. He then followed the Eagles loss with his worst game of the year against the Baltimore Ravens, throwing a game-sealing 37-yard pick-six to Marlon Humphrey.
NFL insider Albert Breer revealed last week that the Steelers expect Pickens to return for the team’s game against the Chiefs.
“He is running and he did make an effort for doctors to clear him, ultimately, that didn’t happen,” Breer said on Amazon Prime after Thursday night’s Broncos-Chargers game. “He won’t play (against the Ravens) but they’re optimistic that he’ll be able to go Christmas Day against the Chiefs.”
The Steelers’ offense with and without Pickens is drastically different. Prior to Saturday’s game, the Steelers ranked dead last in yards per play, success rate and explosive-play rate without Pickens on the field, according to True Media.
Pickens had played the first 46 games to start his career, and he’s champing at the bit to get back on the field.
The cameras for HBO’s Hard Knocks caught Pickens lamenting his injury status on the Pittsburgh sideline during the Steelers’ Week 14 game against the Cleveland Browns.
“I wanna play so bad, boy,” Pickens said to Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin
Tomlin responded, “It’s that football life. “Just football life.”
As of now, it appears that Pickens will makes his much-anticipated return on Christmas Day against the Chiefs.