Through 5 games George Pickens still without TD after meager 26-yard production vs. Dallas

Aside from a nifty, clutch 21-yard catch and run that set up a go-ahead score during the fourth quarter, the moment George Pickens arguably made his impact most felt during Sunday night’s game came immediately after it officially ended.

Pickens snagged the facemask of Dallas Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis as Lewis was passing by Pickens seconds after time had expired in a 20-17 Dallas victory over Pickens’ Pittsburgh Steelers. Lewis had picked up the ball after the Steelers’ failed desperation laterals and was prancing in celebration when he was flung to the ground as the result of Pickens’ fingers getting into Lewis’ facemask.

BIG first down for the @Steelers #HereWeGo

????: #DALvsPIT on NBC/Peacock
????: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/u8sCytDIKi

— NFL (@NFL) October 7, 2024

A few minutes later while Lewis was walking down the bowels of Acrisure Stadium into the visitors’ locker room, a reporter from 105.3 FM in Dallas caught Lewis saying: “Pittsburgh need (sic) a receiver. George Pickens (is) weak.”

Jourdan Lewis on his way to the locker: "Pittsburgh need a receiver. George Pickens weak." pic.twitter.com/GXr2uf5LDw

— Bobby Belt (@BobbyBeltTX) October 7, 2024

In regards to production Sunday, Pickens has little retort to Lewis — and not just because Pickens again refused to talk to media following the loss.

Aside from the 21-yard reception — which was caught a yard beyond the line of scrimmage and featured some nice open-field running — Pickens was held to two catches for 5 yards against the Cowboys.

It was the second time in five games this season that Pickens had fewer than 30 receiving yards. Pickens has topped 60 yards just twice, and he has no touchdowns. This from a player who wore eye-black tape that carried the inscription “Open (Expletive) Always” on Sunday night.

After the game, Pickens ignored a reporter who requested an interview, and he spent the majority of a 45-minute media window Monday sequestered inside an equipment room. Pickens also did not speak to media after last week’s loss at the Indianapolis Colts. Pickens had his best statistical game that day — seven catches for 113 yards.

Seven days later, though, Pickens was targeted only seven times among 28 Steelers passes thrown. Aside from an 8-yard, first-quarter reception and his 21-yard play, the only other Pickens catch was on the final desperation toss.

More telling, Pickens was often not on the field for offensive plays. Van Jefferson and Calvin Austin III many times were in the game when Pickens was not.

“We just wanted to kind of minimize his reps in an effort to get more productivity,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “We’re just trying to rep manage in terms of the totality of the big picture. He wasn’t less of a focal point in terms of our intentions of what we wanted to do offensively, but we did want to cut his reps a little bit in an effort to get higher quality playing in general.”

Tomlin tacitly denied Pickens was being (partially) benched either for disciplinary reasons or out of deference to a shortcoming in his game.

“It’s no different than we minimize some of the snaps of D-linemen like Cam Heyward,” Tomlin said. “It’s just about snap management. There’s no underlying story, to be quite honest with you.”

Pickens still has four of the six longest receptions for the Steelers this season. But he has no touchdowns, and his explosive plays feel as if they are lacking relative to the past.

After the game Steelers quarterback Justin Fields cited the coverage of former All-Pro cornerback Trevon Diggs in explaining Pickens’ mostly inert game.

“Trevon traveled with GP a little, and he’s a good corner,” Fields said. “But GP is also a good receiver. We just didn’t get him as involved (Sunday) as much as he usually does.”