Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin stressed accountability during his first media availability ahead of the Steelers wild card matchup with the Baltimore Ravens. Arguably, no Steelers player needs to be more accountable after the team’s fourth straight loss than wide receiver George Pickens.
Tomlin challenged his receiver to admit his mistakes and learn from them on January 6.
“No you don’t, but he did,” Tomlin said when asked about how rare it is for Pickens to drop passes. “He has to own it.”
Pickens dropped 3 passes in the Week 18 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. The 23-year-old, who led the Steelers in receiving during the 2024 regular season, finished the game with zero yards.
Tomlin, though, made clear that Pickens isn’t the only Steelers player that needs to be accountable for his latest performance.
“[Pickens] wasn’t alone. As I mentioned after the game, we had several people that had very makable plays, routine, if you will, like plays,” Tomlin added. “If you’re going to be good, not only great, but good, you gotta make routine plays routinely.”
Mike Tomlin Touts George Pickens Will Bounce Back
That message isn’t all that different from what Tomlin said immediately after losing to the Bengals. During his Week 18 postgame press conference, Tomlin argued the playoffs offer the Steelers a “clean slate,” but he also warned his players to learn from the team’s recent 4-game losing streak.
Tomlin, though, is trying to walk a fine line ahead of a third matchup against the Ravens this season. The Steelers head coach doesn’t want to completely crush his players’ confidence before facing the potential 2024 NFL MVP in quarterback Lamar Jackson.
When addressing Pickens, Tomlin suggested Pickens’ hamstring injury that caused him to miss 3 games may have disrupted his rhythm at the end of the season. But Tomlin expressed plenty of confidence that Pickens, and his team overall, can get back on track in the postseason.
“I think certainly based on output, you could say that,” Tomlin said of Pickens’ early December absence. “And so I’m looking forward to him bouncing back and looking forward to us bouncing back with this next outing.”
Pickens averaged more than 70 receiving yards per game in the first 12 games of the season. But he had just 50 receiving yards in the final five weeks of the 2024 campaign.
He missed three of Pittsburgh’s final five games because of his hamstring injury.
Pickens Set to be Key Factor in Steelers-Ravens Wild Card Matchup
Pittsburgh’s losing streak began with Pickens on the sideline because of his hamstring. In one of those two games, the Steelers lost 34-17 to the Ravens.
But in the first 2024 matchup against Baltimore, Pickens caught 8 of 12 targets for 89 yards. The Steelers won 18-16 despite not scoring a touchdown.
Pickens also played a significant role for the Steelers in their Week 5 victory against the Ravens during the 2023 season. He caught a 41-yard touchdown with under 1:30 remaining in the fourth quarter to give the Steelers one of their most improbable victories versus the Ravens.
Pickens finished that contest with 6 catches and 130 receiving yards with the touchdown.
The Steelers beat the Ravens in Week 18 last season with Pickens not making a catch. But Jackson and many of Baltimore’s other starters didn’t play.
If the Steelers are going to end their 2024 skid and upset the Ravens in Baltimore on January 11, Pickens will very likely have to be a huge factor.
Should the Ravens shut down Pickens, Pittsburgh’s road to victory will be very narrow.
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