Watch: George Pickens Erupts for Huge TD after Rocky Week

PITTSBURGH — After a rocky week with headlines, Steelers wide receiver George Pickens is hoping to shut them up. He did a nice job of that on the first drive for Pittsburgh, after catching a slant route from Mason Rudolph that went 86 yards. Pickens broke free in the middle of the field and broke an arm tackle and then just broke away from the rest of the defense for the touchdown. That is eerily similar to some of Pickens’ biggest plays this year which have him on the move for yards after the catch.

That touchdown is the longest touchdown since Ben Roethlisberger connected with JuJu Smith-Schuster on a 97-yard touchdown on November 25th, 2018.

86-YARD TOUCHDOWN ‼️

📲: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/T87FSnfvVk pic.twitter.com/d9oUDFFNIv

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) December 23, 2023

George Pickens came under fire this week for questions about his effort throughout the year, but specifically on a block for Jaylen Warren. But the team stated they would not give up on him, and for good reason. Pickens is maybe the most talented player on the entire offense if they get him going.

“I was just trying to prevent the Tank Dell situation, the same thing that happened to (him). I didn’t want to get an injury. When you stay on the block too long, you can get ran up on very easily,” Pickens said.

But he also has been on an extended streak of futility in the offense. That’s Pickens’ first touchdown since October 29th against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The complaints are correct, and Pickens has been used wrongly in this offense all year, so getting him on the move against a soft look will break the big one. He did just that against the Browns earlier this year, but it had been hard to find production for him outside of back shoulder fades and short routes before this game. Now, the team might have something built off with Pickens.