The Pittsburgh Steelers had been impressive for much of this season, especially given their roster, but they have now lost three games in a row, and their playoff hopes are growing dim.
They fell to a 7-7 record after blowing a 13-0 lead and losing to the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday, and wide receiver George Pickens received some criticism afterward for an apparent lack of effort, especially when it came to his blocking duties.
Per Brooke Pryor, he said he didn’t block on one notable play because he didn’t want to suffer the type of injury Houston Texans wideout Tank Dell sustained.
George Pickens on why he didn’t block for Warren: “I was just trying to prevent the Tank Dell situation, the same thing that happened to (him). I ain’t want to get an injury. When you stay on the block too low, you can get ran up on very easily.”
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) December 19, 2023
Dell suffered a broken fibula in Week 13 against the Denver Broncos, and his loss could be big for a Texans team that is still fighting to secure a playoff spot.
This isn’t the first time Pickens has found himself at the center of controversy this year.
Just over a month ago, Pickens showed poor body language during a game against the Tennessee Titans, and he also had a cryptic social media post while unfollowing several of his teammates and removing all Steelers-related posts for a period of time.
He is arguably the team’s biggest offensive threat, and he has put up 814 receiving yards and three touchdowns in 14 games this season.
Pittsburgh has a difficult schedule to close out the regular season, as they will host the Cincinnati Bengals this Saturday before they hit the road for contests versus the Seattle Seahawks and Baltimore Ravens.
Mike Tomlin has never finished with a losing record since taking over as their head coach in 2007, but that streak could end this year.
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