The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off a grueling Week 2 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. While a pitiful performance from the defense—and a bone-headed special teams play from rookie Kaleb Johnson—are mostly to blame, the offense already misses George Pickens.
After a promising performance from Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers' passing game in Week 1 against the Jets, the offense quickly plummeted back down to earth in Week 2. Going against a tough Mike Macdonald defense, Rodgers was able to muster up just 37 passing yards by halftime. He eventually finished the game 18 of 33 for 203 yards (though 65 yards came on a catch-and-run from Jaylen Warren).
If you take away this brilliant run-after-the-catch play from Warren, Rodgers would have been 17 of 32 for 138 yards. This is far from what we hoped for after a promising Week 1 Steelers debut.
There are reasons for this... and it's not just the offensive line failing to protect Rodgers consistently. Quite frankly, wide receivers aren't getting open and making plays.
Against Seattle, DK Metcalf recorded just 20 yards on six targets. Meanwhile, Calvin Austin had just one catch for 22 yards on four targets, and Roman Wilson recorded a mere seven yards on two targets. This team could certainly use a talent like Pickens right about now.
The Pittsburgh Steelers' offense struggled without George Pickens in Week 2 loss vs. Seattle Seahawks
The Pittsburgh Steelers couldn't sustain drives in their home opener. They managed just 6.1 yards per attempt through the air. Rodgers and company managed just 17 points on the afternoon, and only recorded three points in the second half.
Pittsburgh's struggles in the passing game make fans instantly think about George Pickens and the impact he's already having in Dallas.
After a quiet first game. Pickens made a big impact in Week 2 against the New York Giants. The Cowboys' new offensive weapon recorded five clutch catches for 68 yards and a touchdown, while also drawing a pair of penalties down the field. Pickens' performance aided the Cowboys to a 40-point outing in an overtime win over the Giants.
READ MORE: It only took one play for Calvin Austin to land in Aaron Rodgers' dog house
Pickens is fired up... and he should be. He's got an accurate quarterback throwing him the football, and he helped his team pull off a win over his former QB, Russell Wilson.
With Calvin Austin and Roman Wilson combining to do next to nothing in the Steelers' Week 2 loss to the Seahawks, fans are feeling George Pickens trade remorse. Had the front office kept Pickens in Pittsburgh, it's possible we could be looking at a different start to the season for Pittsburgh.
We all know why the team traded Pickens, as the team no longer wanted to put up with his antics. But problems go away when your team is winning football games, and the Steelers' wide receiver issues look real to begin the season.