George Pickens makes the incredible appear routine.
The Pittsburgh Steelers receiver’s third-quarter grab against New York Jets cornerback Isaiah Oliver was an attention-grabber still.
On a third-and-7 from his side’s 24-yard line, veteran quarterback Russell Wilson lofted a pass toward Pickens, who was tracing a vertical route on the numbers and slowed about 20 yards downfield so not to out-run the under-thrown offering. That allowed Oliver to shut the short gap between the two and when Pickens contorted his body to reach back, but the ball ricocheted off the defensive back’s left shoulder pad and facemask.
As he twisted counter-clockwise, Pickens spotted and reflexively snared it. Now backpedaling, he had to fend off Oliver’s tackle, which jarred the ball loose again. Finally, Pickens holstered it to his hip and twisted once more, falling outstretched to the turf for a 37-yard gain.
The effort even wowed tailback Najee Harris, Pickens’ teammate of two seasons and change.
“GP is one of the talented receivers in the NFL,” Harris said. “Am I surprised (by) it? No. I’ve seen him make catches like that at practice.”
Harris quickly corrected himself.
“Not like that, actually,” he clarified. “But I’ve seen him make incredible catches in practice.”
When asked about the reception, Pickens downplayed its surprise value.
“Just concentration,” Pickens explained. “For a minute, he (Oliver) had it. For a minute, I had it. It bounced up in the air, I got my eye back on it, and made the catch.”
Eight plays later, kicker Chris Boswell nailed a 21-yard field goal that vaulted the Steelers ahead for good in a 37-15 win.
Pickens led the NFL with 18.1 yards per catch last season. Just as memorable as that average was the ball he vacuumed in before hurdling a pair of Jacksonville defenders, who in turn collided with one another as he wheeled to the end zone.
Against Seattle, there was an effortless somersaulting catch.
The week prior, he hauled in a ball on the sideline against Cincinnati, looking as if he were levitating before stabbing his feet into the green grass and sitting backwards onto the boundary. That was part of a four-catch, 195-yard showing, undoubtedly the best of his young career.
Earlier in the game with the Jets, Pickens pulled in his first touchdown catch this season. He had five last year and four the one before that.
“I’d probably say my potential (is) very high,” Pickens said. “I work day in, day out. I don’t really look at my potential. … I just stay on the ground, stay working, and my potential kind of shows on TV.”
It shows in whatever venue he makes those big plays in, too.
“When he catches that ball, he’s got a light to him,” Wilson said. “The whole stadium feels it and there’s energy to him.”
