Admin December 10, 2024
NFL Overreactions Week 14
Mackenzie Salmon breaks down the biggest NFL storylines from Week 14.
Sports Seriously
George Pickens might catch plenty of footballs, but he’s not catching a break with a nagging hamstring injury.
The Steelers receiver suffered the injury in practice ahead of Week 14 and the initial belief was that he could potentially play. After being ruled out, the picture painted after the fact was worse than they thought. Now Pickens might be sidelined for Week 15, with no return date in sight.
It marks an unfortunate twist in Pickens’ season, who has thrived with Russell Wilson throwing the ball. As the Steelers get set to begin their three games in 11 days stretch, it’s now a concern whether their top pass-catcher will join them.
Here’s the latest on Pickens.
George Pickens injury update
Pickens already finds himself being considered doubtful with a hamstring injury for Sunday’s Week 15 matchup against the Eagles.
Head coach Mike Tomlin provided the update on Tuesday, telling reporters that the receiver had an MRI that revealed something a little more significant than initially thought. It is reportedly a grade 2 hamstring strain, according to ESPN’s Brooke Pryor.
Pickens was already sidelined in Week 14, which came as a surprise after he popped up on the injury report Friday with the hamstring issue. He was initially listed as questionable before ultimately being ruled out. Now it seems that he could be in danger of missing at least another week.
Hamstrings are a nuisance to navigate and it’s unclear how long the third-year receiver could be out of action.
The Steelers are 10-3 with a two game lead atop the AFC North. They currently hold the tiebreaker over the second-place Ravens, thanks to their Week 11 win over Baltimore, meaning we will likely see plenty of caution being exercised by the Steelers.
They are also hitting a stretch that will see them play three games in 11 days.
Pittsburgh will want Pickens back at full strength for a postseason run, so there’s no need to rush him back with only about a month left in the season.
What is George Pickens’ injury?
Pickens has a hamstring injury. He was added to the team’s injury report on Friday in Week 14 before being ruled out on Sunday.
Steelers WR depth chart
Without Pickens, here’s what the Steelers would be working with at the receiver spot:
The Steelers would likely ramp up the usage of their multiple running backs, giving Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren and Cordarrelle Patterson additional touches. Tight end Pat Freiermuth should also see an uptick in targets. Perhaps the biggest beneficiary, however, would be Williams, who the Steelers acquired from the Jets ahead of the trade deadline.
Williams profiles as a similar receiver to Pickens, meaning Pittsburgh can still utilize a big-bodied target on the outside. The receiver hasn’t played much for the Steelers prior to Week 14, only seeing one target, which resulted in a 32-yard touchdown.
However, with Pickens out of action, Williams collected three-of-four targets for 36 yards in what was one of his best games in a disappointing season.
George Pickens stats
Pickens is primed to post his best season as a pro in his third year. The 23-year-old has caught 55 of 90 targets for 850 yards and three touchdowns in 12 games. In the six games since Wilson took over as starter, Pickens has seen a big boost in production. He’s averaging 4.8 catches and 81.2 yards per game, scoring all three of his touchdowns with Wilson under center.