George Pickens, rest of Steelers receivers need to be more productive to be successful
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- While it's unclear who will be starting at quarterback for the Steelers this weekend, the team's receiving corps will need to have better production, including wide receiver George Pickens.
Pickens wasn't a major factor for the Steelers in Sunday night's 20-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, only playing a career low 59% of the snaps in the game.
Head coach Mike Tomlin said it wasn't a lack of effort for Pickens, but a snap management strategy.
Pickens is supposed to be the team's top wide receiver and the biggest playmaker on offense, but Van Jefferson and Calvin Austin each played more on Sunday.
Tight end Pat Freiermuth, one of the team's leaders, said it's a team-first mentality with the Steelers and said he had a chance to talk to Pickens.
"You've just gotta be there for him as much as you can and you know, understand where he's coming from," Freiermuth said. "It's not out of a bad place. He obviously wants to help us win as much as he can and he's a great talent. We have to understand that and be there for him, but at the end of the day, he also has to understand this is a team sport and he does. We've talked about that. He's practicing hard. He's doing all the right things. He's been in a great mood this week. He understands what he needs to do. We understand what we need to do as an offense."
Plain and simple, Pickens is a weapon and needs to play more for the offense to be more effective.
He also has to be more engaged in games. Pickens had three receptions for 26 yards against the Cowboys.
It appears Justin Fields is still in line to get his sixth straight start for the Steelers when they take the field this weekend in Las Vegas, but for the first time this year, Russell Wilson was a full participant in practice.
Kickoff in Las Vegas on Sunday is set for 4:05 p.m. and you can watch the game on KDKA-TV.