The Pittsburgh Steelers lost a tough matchup against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5, 27-24.
Pittsburgh’s offense couldn’t get it done last week. Justin Fields threw for two touchdowns during the loss but only 132 yards. A surprising storyline throughout the game was the absence of George Pickens from the field, who played in 34 of 58 snaps. Pickens caught three passes on seven targets for 26 yards.
Fields spoke with reporters about understanding Pickens’s frustration, competitive nature, passion, and plans to continue feeding him the ball according to Sports Illustrated’s Jack Markowski.
“I mean it’s tough,” Fields said. “You definitely gotta feel for him. He’s just passionate about the game like we talked about earlier this year. He knows how great of a player he is … I try to talk to him on the sideline, keep him up. I think that’s the biggest thing, you know, keep him going, and just try to talk to him throughout the whole game and stay in his ear and say ‘We’re gonna need you to make a play soon, and when it happens, we’re gonna need you’.”
“So, the biggest thing is being patient and him waiting for the ball to come his way, because at the end of the day, defenses know that we’re trying to get him the ball, so they’re gonna game-plan and do what they can to try and stop that.”
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Mike Tomlin said Pickens’s decrease in playing time was due to load management so he could make the most out of the plays he’s on the field for. Pickens leads the team in both receptions and yards, so Pittsburgh will look for Pickens to bounce back against the Las Vegas Raiders this week.
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