George Pickens and his other Pittsburgh Steelers wide receviers have been in the news for all of the wrong reasons throughout the 2023 season.
From going after coaches to showing frustration and failing to make simple plays, this unit did not paint Mike Tomlin’s squad in the best of lights.
Pickens and his Steelers were in Western New York Monday afternoon to take on the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Wild Card Playoffs. They lost by the score of 31-17 in a game that wasn’t necessarily that close. As for the sophomore receiver, he caught just 5-of-11 passes for 50 yards in the two-touchdown loss.
Immediately after the game, Pickens talked with reporters from the Steelers’ locker room. Instead of pointing out what the team could have done better, he passed off blame to the officials.
“Refs. Refs. Refs. That’s the only thing on my mind. You not going to win a game when you have to beat the Bills and the refs. That’s what I really feel happened to us today.”
Uh. What part did the refs play in your team falling down 21-0 in the second quarter? What part did he refs play in the multiple dropped passes we saw from Steelers wide receivers?
It really is easy to blame officiating. We saw just how bad they can be at times at the end of Sunday night’s Detroit Lions win over the Los Angeles Rams. This makes it easy for fans and others to place the blame on officials.
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With that said, teams who aspire to win a championship must have players who are willing to take responsibility. We saw that with Dallas Cowboys star quarterback Dak Prescott after Sunday’s humiliating loss to the Green Bay Packers.
This passing of the blame from George Pickens is not going to do him any favors within the Steelers’ power elite. Mike Tomlin is not about that action.
“So, I’m appreciative of the efforts, but it’s not mystical. We didn’t do what was required to win the night,” Tomlin said after Monday’s loss. “We didn’t take care of the ball. We didn’t get the ball from them enough in an environment like this and thus, the score.”