On Saturday night, the Baltimore Ravens eliminated the Pittsburgh Steelers from the playoffs. After the game, Steelers wide receiver George Pickens did his best to quash any hopes Steelers fans may have had for the future.
After a 28-14 loss to division rival Baltimore, the Ravens ran for 300 yards against Pittsburgh's vaunted run defense and led 21-0 at halftime in a game that Baltimore missed. When you think about it, it looked like a much worse loss than the scoreboard showed. Pickens, a top wide receiver, admitted to reporters that things have improved somewhat offensively during his time in Pittsburgh, but he looked grim. To predict what will happen in the future.
“Yes, we have definitely seen signs of growth,” Pickens said. said When asked about the violation. “I’ve definitely grown even more since my first year here.”
Did that give the third-year wideout hope?
“Oh, no,” Pickens said.
The Steelers' offense was held to just 280 yards as a unit, which was modest given the team's talent level. But that low number can be largely attributed to the stifling pressure the Ravens put on the Steelers' run game and quarterback Russell Wilson. Running backs Najee Harris and Jalen Warren were held to a combined 23 yards on the ground, and Wilson was sacked four times and was knocked down or pressured at least eight times.
Statistically, Pickens' game wasn't bad. He led Pittsburgh to five catches for 87 yards and caught one of Wilson's two touchdowns, which was probably the only bad play by the Ravens' secondary all night. Rookie Nate Wiggins failed to catch Pickens' jam at the line, resulting in a score. Breaking down the sideline.
Still, Pickens' comments are likely to make an already uncertain offseason in the Steel City even more disturbing.
Pittsburgh hasn't won in the playoffs since 2016, dropping five games at the end of the regular season. The team has been in limbo since the departure of longtime starter Ben Roethlisberger, with several different quarterback auditions failing to produce a consistent starter. Meanwhile, the team's coaching and recruiting staffs are still doing their jobs well enough that Pittsburgh ends each season too high in the draft to draft a quarterback.
Pickens may not be wrong in his assessment of the Steelers' future. Russell Wilson doesn't seem to be the answer, but the torch has been decisively passed.
Baltimore. Still, it won't make fans feel any better.
