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Russell Wilson Backs George Pickens after Season-Worst Game vs. Bengals: ‘I Believe in George’
PITTSBURGH — When the Pittsburgh Steelers were trailing the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth quarter on Saturday, and quarterback Russell Wilson needed a reliable connection to get the offense going, he couldn’t make one with wide receiver George Pickens.
Pickens, who has been the one and only bright spot among the Steelers’ cadre of receiving options this season, with 900 yards receiving in 13 games entering play on Saturday, had one of the worst games of his career.
Wilson targeted Pickens six times in the game. Just one was completed, a wide receiver screen on the game’s opening drive. It went for no gain.
A couple of Wilson’s targets to Pickens were catchable. Several others were not. On the game’s final drive, and on the penultimate offensive play for the Steelers, Wilson threw up a prayer toward Pickens on the sideline. Even the 6-foot-3 receiver, diving and contorting his body, couldn’t get a hand on it.
Pickens would probably like back at least some of the balls that hit him in the hands, but for much of the game, the Steelers just struggled to do much of anything with their passing game, regardless of who was the intended target.
Tight end Pat Freiermuth was the one that finally sparked the Steelers, catching eight passes for 85 yards and a late-game touchdown. Freiermuth has been notably absent from the Steelers offense game-plan most of the season, despite a big-money contract this offseason.
Getting Freiermuth going is probably the one big positive the offense can take away from Saturday’s loss. Of course, even he dropped the final pass, one play after Pickens’ diving effort.
But having the ever-volatile Pickens, who was caught by TV cameras apparently yelling at fans during play on Saturday, at or near the top of his game, is essential if the Steelers have any hope of coming away with a playoff win next week.
Wilson seemed to understand that when he was asked about Pickens post-game.
“I believe in George,” Wilson said. “Listen, everything is not always perfect for everyone. This is an imperfect game. I believe in George. I believe in who he is, the player he is. He’s been a star for us all season. He’s going to be a difference maker for us in the playoffs obviously, and I’m looking forward to that and what he can do, what we can do together. I’m not blinking on George. If anybody believes in him, I definitely do.”
Those words are, of course, easier to say than to believe, but it almost doesn’t matter if Wilson truly believes in Pickens or not. He doesn’t really have a choice. When Pickens has more than 50 receiving yards this season, the Steelers are 8-1. When he doesn’t — in the five games he’s played where he failed to hit that mark and the three he missed — they’re 2-6.
“Last week didn’t go our way, for whatever reason,” Wilson said. “Tonight, obviously, didn’t go our way. I think great players, you know, sometime doesn’t go their way that day. You go to the ballpark and sometimes doesn’t go your way. If anybody believes in George I do. I have no hesitation to throw the football to him and what he means to us and our football team.”
Wilson is a free agent this offseason. Pickens is entering a contract year. They both have a lot to play for personally, in addition to what the team needs from them.
They’ve got one more game to get it together.
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