There were multiple injury updates on Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens and his hamstring on Monday of Week 15.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette insider Gerry Dulac was the first to relay the concerning news on the 102.5 WDVE Morning Show with Randy Baumann, noting that the Week 14 absence was more than just precaution.
“He has a grade 2 hamstring injury,” Dulac informed, adding: “That’s typically two weeks. So, I don’t think they’re expecting him to play in Philadelphia either.”
Not long after on December 9, ESPN beat reporter Brooke Pryor confirmed a “grade 2 hamstring strain” for Pickens, per a league source.
Pryor did not speculate on the star wide receiver’s potential availability — or lack thereof — against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Similar to Dulac, on the Pat McAfee Show, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter agreed that hamstring issues are “usually” multiple week injuries. Although, Schefter did state that the Steelers “absolutely were planning” to play Pickens versus the Cleveland Browns and only elected to hold him back on the morning of the Week 14 outing.
“Ultimately, I guess, medical people prevailed there,” the veteran NFL insider explained. “Let’s take the long-term view here. Let’s make sure we’re not pushing it today. And let’s rest him on the hamstring.”
Schefter also clarified that Pickens’ hamstring injury might have actually occurred toward the tail end of Week 14’s Thursday practice, being that the wideout “wasn’t feeling right” when he woke up on Friday. An encouraging walkthrough on Saturday gave Pickens a shot to suit up on Sunday but clearly, Pittsburgh decided it was best to wait another week or so when it came time to announce inactives.
Steelers WRs Scotty Miller & Mike Williams Stepped Up vs. Browns With George Pickens Out
The Steelers’ WR corps was a bit banged up heading into Week 14. Obviously, Pickens ended up being held out and Calvin Austin III was also working his way back from a concussion — logging just 23 offensive snaps according to Pro Football Focus.
Despite that, role players like Scotty Miller and Mike Williams stepped up when called upon, and quarterback Russell Wilson deserves credit for pulling the strings and orchestrating a 27-point day for the offense.
Over 34 offensive snaps, Miller produced 3 catches for 38 yards, which was second only to tight end Pat Freiermuth (3 receptions for 48 yards and a touchdown). Williams finished just behind Miller with 3 catches for 36 yards — although the deadline acquisition was only utilized on 19 offensive snaps.
In terms of playing time, Van Jefferson led the way with 48 offensive snaps. His only reception was a 10-yard touchdown from Wilson.
Finally, Ben Skowronek registered 20 offensive snaps but was not targeted versus the Browns.
Steelers’ Russell Wilson Out-Quarterbacks Browns’ Jameis Winston Without George Pickens
Wilson didn’t light up the stat sheet in Week 14, but he showed his veteran savvy as he led the Steelers to a relatively easy 27-14 victory over a Cleveland team that beat them two weeks prior.
Without Pickens, Wilson probably understood that it was unlikely he’d be throwing for 300 yards. Having said that, he out-quarterback Browns signal-caller Jameis Winston, making winning plays rather than losing ones.
Wilson finished with just 158 passing yards on December 8. However, he was only sacked once, his touchdown-to-interception ratio was two-to-zero, and he only threw 11 incompletions.
In other words, Wilson limited negative plays and kept the Steelers on track. On the flip side, Winston threw 2 interceptions and was sacked a total of 3 times for a loss of 16 yards.
To no surprise, Wilson bested Winston in QBR — the measure of a quarterback’s total impact on the game. The Steelers QB finished with a 54.7 out of 100, while Winston earned a 39.1.
