The Pittsburgh Steelers added wide receiver George Pickens to their injury report late in Week 14. He ultimately didn’t play, as the Steelers elected to make him inactive on December 8 against the Cleveland Browns.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin addressed why in front of reporters after the game.
“GP was listed as questionable. We didn’t feel like he was going to be able to play the type of number of snaps that we thought it’d be worth putting him in a uniform, to be quite honest with you,” Tomlin told the media. “We didn’t want a small problem to become a big problem.
“So we put a helmet on Scotty Miller.”
The Steelers offense appeared to miss Pickens early in the game. But Scotty Miller made some plays in the second half to help the Steelers avenge their November loss to the Browns.
Miller finished first among Pittsburgh wideouts with 38 receiving yards on 3 catches. The Steelers defeated the Browns 27-14.
Tomlin Raves About Scotty Miller
The 18-year head coach stressed multiple times after the Week 14 win how his focus must stay on the players available and not the stars, such as Pickens, who aren’t playing. Off of that, Tomlin praised Miller, who played on December 8 for the first time since Week 8.
“Most of the time, when you put the helmets on the healthy guys, man, they take care of the rest,” Tomlin told reporters. “Scotty made some plays for us. Thankful for that.
“That’s another example of the team component of this game…. Tip of the cap to Scotty Miller, man. Stepping up and making some big plays for us.”
Miller’s biggest play of the day came on third-and-7 in the fourth quarter when he caught a 21-yard pass down the sideline. Watching the reception live, it appeared Miller may have been out of bounds, but the replay clearly showed the veteran dragged both feet to record the first-down catch.
Steelers running back Cordarrelle Patterson fumbled two plays later, but cornerback James Pierre intercepted Browns quarterback Jameis Winston a couple plays after that. Miller’s reception was key for field position and helped the Steelers run out the clock in the 13-point win.
Mike Tomlin Declines to Answer What Changed Without George Pickens
As he usually is, Tomlin was complimentary of his team’s Week 14 opponent, particularly Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. Tomlin referred to Schwartz as a “savvy” coordinator and admitted that he did “some nice things” schematically.
But Tomlin didn’t answer how things were different in the game because Pickens wasn’t on the field.
“You’ll have to ask them that,” said Tomlin when asked how the Browns played defensively without Pittsburgh’s top receiver.
If anything changed with the Browns’ defensive approach, they may have played more man-to-man defense without having to guard Pickens. That tested the Steelers receiving depth, which is considered one of the weakest in the league.
But Miller and other veterans played well enough for the Steelers to win their 21st consecutive regular season home game versus Cleveland. Mike Williams, who hadn’t recorded a catch in the past three games, had 3 receptions for 36 yards. Van Jefferson only had 1 reception but it went for a 10-yard touchdown.
Tight end Pat Freiermuth led the Steelers with 48 receiving yards and also scored.
The Steelers improved to 10-3 and now hold a 2-game lead in the AFC North after the Week 14 victory.
