Steelers’ QB gets destroyed and made a scape goat for lack of effort vs. Colts…
A disappointing season is turning into an ugly one for Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens, with video showing a perceived lack of effort in Week 15’s 30-13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
Two plays in the damaging loss “perfectly sum up the big problem on this team that no head coach or offensive coordinator can fix,” per Steelers Wire’s Curtis Popejoy.
On a Mitch Trubisky fourth quarter interception, Pickens made little effort to chase down or tackle Colts defender Julian Blackmon.
There was another play that showed Pickens putting in a less-than-ideal effort at run-blocking on a Jaylen Warren carry that ended with the running back getting sandwiched by three Indy defenders.
It’s been an ugly December for Mike Tomlin’s squad. Three consecutive Steelers losses have seen the team fall from 7-4 to a .500 team, with the odds of a playoff berth declining every week.
Pittsburgh’s offense, expected to take a leap in QB Kenny Pickett’s second season, has instead let the team down consistently. The underperformance of the unit led to coordinator Matt Canada losing his job mid-season in an attempt by Tomlin to spur productivity.
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he Steelers had high hopes for Pickens in his sophomore season. The dynamic playmaker had an impressive rookie season, catching 52 passes for 801 yards despite inconsistent QB play.
But Pickens has suffered in the dysfunctional offense. He has 52 receptions for 814 yards so far this season. He hasn’t had a 100-yard game since Week 7, and hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 8.
If Tomlin is going to avoid his first losing season as the Steelers’ head coach, he’s going to need more consistent production and appropriate effort from his star players such as Pickens.