Steelers star wide receiver George Pickens had a poor performance in Pittsburgh's Week 18 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. There's no other way to put it. Pickens was targeted six times in the game, but he finished with just one reception and zero yards, and Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt made sure to let him hear about it.
Cam Taylor-Britt shut down George Pickens and then let him hear about it
“Everybody who guarded him ate today," Taylor-Britt said of Pickens. "They didn't do sh--. So that was good on our end, man. That's their momentum-grabber. And we didn't let them get no momentum."
Listen, there's nothing wrong with some competitive trash talk between rivals, but in this situation Taylor-Britt is probably the wrong messenger. First of all, the Steelers already have a playoff spot locked up while the Bengals are still on the outside looking in.
Plus, Cincinnati's defense -- and Taylor-Britt specifically -- is the main reason that the Bengals don't have a playoff spot locked up. The unit has struggled all season long, and Taylor-Britt has been one of the biggest perpetrators. Even in the game against Pittsburgh on Saturday night, Taylor-Britt basically gifted the Steelers a touchdown by committing not one, but two pass interference penalties on the same drive.
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In fairness to Taylor-Britt, though, he did perform very well against Pickens in Week 18. He defended Pickens on 27 of his 35 routes and allowed zero receptions and just two total targets.
Cam Taylor-Britt lined up against George Pickens on 27 of his 35 routes (77.1% shadow rate), allowing 0 receptions on just 2 targets.
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) January 5, 2025
Pickens managed to catch just 1 of his 6 total targets in the game, totaling 0 or fewer receiving yards for the 3rd time in his career.… pic.twitter.com/MYZuQUBFkl
Pickens didn't speak to media members after the loss to Cincinnati, but Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson expressed confidence in the star receiver moving forward.
"I believe in George," Wilson said. "Listen, everything's not always perfect for everyone. This is an imperfect game and everything else. I believe in George, I believe in who he is, the player that he is.
"He's been a star for us all season, and he's going to be a difference-maker obviously for us in the playoffs. I'm looking forward to that and what he can do, what we can do together. And I'm not blinking on George. If anybody believes in him, I definitely do."
If the Steelers are going to make any noise in the playoffs, they're going to need Pickens to step it up. He hasn't had over 75 receiving yards in a game since mid-November, and he has just three total touchdowns on the season.
Pickens' recent lack of production isn't the only issue with Pittsburgh's offense, but it's certainly one of them, and it's something the Steelers must address if they hope to win their first playoff game since 2016.