The Pittsburgh Steelers had the king of ugly performances on Sunday Night Football in Week 5. Going up against a Dallas Cowboys team decimated by injuries, most thought Mike Tomlin's team stood a good chance in this contest.
Unfortunately, the offense couldn't have been more stagnant. The Steelers had one drive after the next stall and they entered the tunnel at halftime with just three points.
Things didn't get much better from there. Though one aggressive drive to open the third quarter sparked hope, it was quickly washed away as Pittsburgh reverted to their own ways. Justin Fields finished the game completing 15 of 27 passes for 131 yards in the 20-17 loss on SNF.
Perhaps the biggest reason for the Steelers' abysmal offensive performance was the minimal impact of George Pickens. Pittsburgh's top receiver finished the game catching just 3 passes for 26 yards on 7 targets.
After the game, Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis threw shade at Pickens, joking about Pittsburgh's need for a wide receiver and even calling Pickens '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
This is hardly the performance anyone expected from the Steelers' top wide receiver. The Cowboys were without All-Pro cornerback DaRon Bland in this one, but it didn't matter. Shutting down Pickens (and Pittsburgh's entire passing offense) was a synch.
But more concerning than Pickens' performance in the loss against Dallas was his lack of usage and questionable attitude.
Emotional George Pickens returns in Steelers' Week 5 loss
Pittsburgh's snap distribution among their wide receivers was bizarre. Van Jefferson played 47 of 58 offensive snaps, while Calvin Austin was on the field for 44 snaps. Pickens, however, saw just 34 snaps in Week 5 against the Cowboys.
This instantly had fans speculating as to whether the talented receiver was in the dog house with the coaching staff. Mike Tomlin chalked this up to 'snap management'.
I'm not buying it.
Pickens' performance was not good. In addition to letting a few balls slip through his grasp, Pickens' body language on the field was poor and his effort seemed to be lacking. The third-year receiver put the exclamation point on a horrendous night by needlessly tugging on the facemask of cornerback Jourdan Lewis after the play was over.
Pickens also went viral during the game because of the message on his eye black that contained some choice words.
Everything George Pickens could have done wrong in this game, he did it. If these tantrums keep coming back and if the star receiver was truly in the doghouse, the Steelers are going to have a tremendously hard time trusting him moving forward.