George Pickens doesn’t need to glance at where the Baltimore Ravens are ranked in pass defense to know the Pittsburgh Steelers have an advantage in the passing game.
Pickens is the advantage.
The Steelers wide receiver proved as much last season, with two big fourth-quarter catches against three-time Pro Bowl cornerback Marlon Humphrey in the 17-10 win over the Ravens. On a third-and-4, he caught a 21-yard pass to the Baltimore 42. Two plays later, he hauled in a 41-yard pass from Kenny Pickett for the go-ahead touchdown with 1 minute, 17 seconds remaining.
So Pickens is prepared to have a bull’s-eye on his back when the Ravens (7-3) visit the Steelers (7-2) for first place in the AFC North at 1 p.m. Sunday at Acrisure Stadium. And he welcomes the challenge.
“Making that already a statement,” Pickens said Friday after practice at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. “You’ve got to account for certain players, so I’m probably already one of those players on their board that they’ve got to account for. Marking yourself in a rivalry is always a good thing.”
The Ravens rank last in the NFL in pass defense (314.6 yards per game) but second against the rush, and Pickens knows to look beyond the numbers. The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder ranks 32nd in the NFL in receptions (40) but ninth in yards (639) and 12th in yards per catch (16.0), just behind Deebo Samuel of the San Francisco 49ers. Pickens has had as many touchdowns called back (two) as he’s caught.
But he’s coming off an impressive performance in Sunday’s 28-27 win at the Washington Commanders, when Pickens had five receptions for 91 yards and a touchdown and proved he could be dangerous downfield threat in a number of ways instead of just running deep routes.
“Just to show the world that I’m not a go-ball guy, either,” Pickens said. “I do that a lot and do it often, but it (shows) variety to my game play.”
His spectacular twisting catch of Russell Wilson’s pass for a 15-yard touchdown in the first quarter displayed his ability to adjust to a ball thrown behind him in coverage. On a second-and-20 in the third quarter, he caught a sidearm pass from Wilson and showed his strength and open-field speed by bouncing off a defender for a 34-yard gain that put the Steelers in position to score a touchdown. On a third-and-1 early in the fourth quarter, Pickens caught a slant for a 12-yard gain. In that same drive, he caught a pass on the sideline for 24 yards.
“I think that that skill set has been on display since day zero,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “He’s just a very talented guy. He’s got unique body control and hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. And very rarely do you see him uncomfortable spatially. And so we appreciate it. But I don’t think anybody on our football team or within our organization that see him do things like that routinely, both in stadium and in practice settings are surprised by it.”
The surprise element came when the Steelers used Pickens as a decoy on the winning drive, opting to throw instead to wide receiver Calvin Austin, tight end Pat Freiermuth and newly acquired wideout Mike Williams for a 32-yard touchdown with 2:22 remaining.
Now that Williams has a full week with the Steelers, teams will be forced to cover a pair of 6-3 targets who can stretch the field. Pickens expects that eventually will benefit him in the pass game.
“With him doing that, that’s going to put them on their big board, as well,” Pickens said. “That’s going to be great for me. They’re going to have to cover two guys.”