Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens’ name was present on the NFL’s list of Week 10 fines — which was made available by NFL Football Operations on November 16, via their gameday accountability page.
The financial punishment will be a whopping $16,883 for Pickens, and according to Football Operations, this fine was dished out for “unnecessary roughness” on a play where the Steelers wideout got his hands on a member of the Washington Commanders’ facemask.
This moment occurred in the fourth quarter, per the NFL, and both Steelers Depot and A-to-Z Sports Pittsburgh reporter Rob Gregson shared it for fans on X.
After catching a quick pass from quarterback Russell Wilson near the line of scrimmage, Pickens attempts to stiff arm Commanders cornerback Benjamin St-Juste. He clearly grips the facemask of St-Juste as he’s shoved out of bounds by several Washington defenders.
Pickens had another questionable action during the third quarter of this outing, as he tackled a Commanders defender to the ground off the ball after an interception. There was no secondary fine for this play, however, according to the league.
No Washington players incurred forfeitures from this matchup, and Pickens was the only member of the Steelers to get fined.
Steelers QB Russell Wilson Has Unlocked George Pickens Since Taking Over for Justin Fields
It’s not necessarily a knock on Justin Fields, but Pickens’ game has definitely benefitted from the recent quarterback change in Pittsburgh. Wilson throws a beautiful deep shot, and it just so happens that Pickens is a tremendous jump-ball wide receiver.
The two have shared immediate chemistry in that area, as Pickens has logged receiving yardage totals of 111, 74 and 91 since Wilson has taken over under center. He’s also recorded touchdowns in two of the past three outings.
With Fields at QB, Pickens only achieved two receiving yardage totals over 70. Week 1 versus the Atlanta Falcons (85 yards) and Week 4 against the Indianapolis Colts (113 yards).
In three short weeks, he’s already surpassed that number of games with Wilson.
Steelers WR George Pickens Could Be Set up for Monster Performance vs. Ravens
The Steelers will likely need Pickens to step up if they’re going to keep up with Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens in Week 11. Fortunately, this is a great matchup for Pickens and the Pittsburgh passing attack on paper.
The Ravens defense ranks dead last in the NFL in passing yardage allowed per game in 2024, surrendering nearly 300 receiving yards per outing. The exact number is 294.9 passing yards per game according to The Football Database, and to show how poor this statistic is, the next closest team is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with an average of 264.1 passing yards allowed per game.
That provides a clear opportunity for both Wilson and Pickens to thrive in this matchup — and that’s where the Steelers could win this head-to-head.
Under head coach Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh is typically known for their defense. That is certainly the case in 2024, although the offense has improved under new coordinator Arthur Smith and both Fields and Wilson.
The Ravens have had years where their defense has been very strong, but they’ve been carried by Jackson and their offense this season. That puts Baltimore’s “strength” up against the Steelers’, and assuming this defense can hold their own, Pittsburgh’s offense can shift the balance by beating up on the Ravens secondary.
