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Brooke Pryor, ESPN writer
CINCINNATI — Pittsburgh Steelers third-year wide receiver George Pickens drew the ire of his head coach for receiving two costly unsportsmanlike conduct penalty flags in Sunday’s 44-38 win against the Cincinnati Bengals.
“He just has to grow,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “This is an emotional game, man. These divisional games are big. He’s got a target on his back because he’s George, he gets it. But he’s got to grow. He’s got to grow quickly.”
Pickens, who was also involved in a fight with Cleveland Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II during a Hail Mary attempt last week, led the Steelers with 74 receiving yards on three receptions with a touchdown, but was penalized for 15 yards after two of his receptions. . He also kicked the ball into the stands after scoring the 17-yard touchdown in the first quarter, a celebration that could earn him a fine from the NFL.
After the game, Pickens said there was nothing he had to do differently in those situations.
“No, honestly, like I said, I can keep running my routes, keep playing,” he said. “We have refs that make certain calls for certain penalties, certain flags. If they don’t make it, then I’m pretty sure they’ll take it.” [inaudible]”.
He added: “To be honest, it was kind of a tick-tock game, and I’m glad we created the dub.”
Pickens was assessed his first unsportsmanlike conduct penalty when he threw the ball into a group of Bengals defenders after making a 21-yard scramble on the third drive of the first quarter. The Steelers were still credited with the first down, but the penalty resulted in only a 6-yard gain.
Then in the third quarter, Pickens was assessed another unsportsmanlike penalty when he appeared to make a gun gesture after a 36-yard gain on a Russell Wilson moonball that would have put the Steelers at the 13-yard line.
Instead, the Steelers were backed up to the 28-yard line, and after three failed plays, the team pulled Chris Boswell to attempt a field goal. Boswell’s kick was blocked (his first missed field goal attempt at Paul Brown Stadium) and the Steelers gave the ball back to the Bengals with only a six-point lead.
Pickens later said the official misinterpreted his hand signal.
“They said they made a mistake in the gesture,” Pickens said. “You know what I mean? I thought it was something else. You can’t hurt the team. I never intended to hurt the team, but he just thought the gesture was different… I was making the first try,” he said. he thought [it was] another thing.”
Although that was Pickens’ second unsportsmanlike foul of the afternoon, he was not disqualified because the action was not directed at the Bengals, referee Shawn Hochuli said in a pool report.
“The two-strike rule for unsportsmanlike conduct for disqualification really applies to taunt-type acts directed at an opponent,” Hochuli said. “The first of those fouls was of that nature: the first in the first half was a mockery for throwing the ball at the player. In the second, however, it was not directed at an opponent and therefore is not considered a mockery. It is “unsportsmanlike conduct, but is not considered a taunt that may lead to disqualification.”
Pickens has frequently made headlines since being selected by the Steelers in the second round of the 2022 draft, including earlier this season when he was fined for writing an explicit message on his black eye for Sunday night’s game against the Dallas Cowboys. . In that game, Pickens earned another fine for pulling the mask of Cowboys defensive back Jourdan Lewis after the final play. Pickens is also no stranger to altercations in games against the Bengals and was ejected in the final seconds of a 2022 matchup for a late hit on receiver Tyler Boyd during an onside kick attempt.
Pickens became frustrated early in Sunday’s win when he became tangled with Bengals defensive back Cam Taylor-Britt on the first series and fell to the ground. Taylor-Britt appeared to grab Pickens’ helmet and force him down, but Hochuli said in the group report that it was “incidental contact.”
“We determined that the receiver stepped out of line and then there was incidental contact that knocked him down,” Hochuli said. “If there was a possible grab or grab, it was at an angle we wouldn’t have seen.” As a result, Taylor-Britt intercepted Wilson’s pass intended for Pickens and returned it for a touchdown while Pickens sat on the field gesturing to the referee for the lack of penalty.
“Plays happen,” Pickens said. “Guys, hold me. You’re going to hold me. I’m one of the best receivers, so you’re going to hold me. You just have to make plays when it happens.”
When asked if he thought officials had a target on their back, Pickens said he hoped not.
“I’m just here playing like every other receiver in the league,” Pickens said. “Certain decisions don’t go my way. The only thing you can do is keep playing.”
“He’s just got to grow, man. This is an emotional game, man. These divisional games are big. He’s got a target on his back because he’s George, he gets it. But he’s got to grow. He’s got to grow. In a hurry.”
Mike Tomlin, on George Pickens
Offensive lineman Broderick Jones, who spent two years with Pickens at Georgia, tried to calm his teammate down during the game, talking intensely with him on the field after the penalties.
“I’m not trying to give him a whole speech or anything, just a couple words of encouragement or just ‘Be smart,'” Jones said. “‘Everyone knows you’re a playmaker, we just have to stop the stupid things.’ That happens with me too. He talks to me too, so I try to do the same for him.
“We just try to keep each other in check and make sure we support each other.”
Wilson said he also talked to Pickens during the game about keeping his emotions in check, reminding him on the sideline that he doesn’t have to do anything “extra” after big plays because he’s expected to do them.
“It’s passion, and sometimes that takes over and I think just being able to balance it, I thought he did a great job responding,” Wilson said. “And I think you have to understand that when you’re facing one of the best receivers in the world, everyone’s going to have their eyes on you, and you have to understand that to stay neutral, stay prepared.” those moments and still bring emotion. Don’t change that, just understand it.
“I was telling him on the bench that when you’re one of the best in the world, you expect to make those plays, and you don’t necessarily need to do anything extra… He’s learning as we go. But he also has to be smarter and he’s going to do it.” do”.
