No Pickens, No Problem for Steelers

You probably have already decided whether or not George Pickens was healthy enough to play Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. It is almost certainly a settled issue in your brain as to whether he was held out because the Steelers wanted to make sure he was as healthy as possible for their three-game gauntlet against Philadelphia, Baltimore and Kansas City, and were willing to take the calculated risk of sitting him against the Browns to facilitate that, or because Mike Tomlin was actually angry with him for some of his antics last week against the Bengals, and decided to make an example of him.

Whatever explanation is rattling around in your brain, enjoy it! We’ll never actually find out the real story, though “Michael Brewerly” on Twitter seemed frustrated by Pickens being made inactive. This is noteworthy because the prevailing assumption in town is that Pickens runs the account, though no one can say so with absolute certainty.

Like I said, though, the reason for Pickens’ absence will be forever unknowable unless someone spills the beans, and isn’t all that important, unless you think it’s going to become a lingering issue. Given the fact that Pickens seemed like an engaged participant on the sideline whenever the cameras cut to him, it seems that whatever kept him out of this game didn’t turn him into a sullen malcontent.

Therefore, let’s take Tomlin’s explanation at face value and move along.

Pickens missing a game for the first time in his career did create a noteworthy subplot for the proceedings. How would the Steelers’ offense fare without its best, most explosive player?

Pretty well, it turns out. Well, sort of.

The first half was practically a commercial for Pickens’ value to the team. The Steelers led 13-7 at the break, but their offense was a disjointed mess. Four of their first five drives ended in punts; those five possessions netted 39 yards, if you count the 16 lost to penalties.

The Steelers trailed 7-3, and only finally turned the game around thanks to Jameis Winston getting into the holiday spirit early and tossing an interception right to Keeanu Benton. That put the Steelers at the Cleveland 31 early in the second quarter and they cashed in with a touchdown, though 16 more pass interference yards from a very giving Browns team aided that drive immensely.

Russell Wilson and the offense didn’t start to show signs of life until their penultimate drive of the first half, when they marched 55 yards in 11 plays and cashed in with a 54-yard field goal from Chris Boswell.

Sure, they went into the half with that six-point lead, but with just 127 total yards, and not a lot of good things happening. Wilson in particular was struggling, just 8-of-16 for 46 yards. No one was open, Cleveland’s pass rush created steady pressure, and the Steelers didn’t have answers. The game was much more uncomfortable than it should have been.

Things got a whole lot better in the second half, as the league’s best third-quarter team proved it again. Wilson and the offense got very crisp, very quickly, and suddenly he was getting his entire supporting cast involved, whether it was a little on-the-move creativity that produced a touchdown from Van Jefferson, or a strike to Pat Freiermuth that all but put the game away.

Wilson’s ability to gin up 27 points without his best target was impressive; he still got a few moonballs up there, ones that found homes in the hands of Mike Williams – he does exist! – and Scotty Miller, who had a very nice bit of toe-drag swag on his catch, and Arthur Smith was able to take advantage of Cleveland’s aggressiveness with some nice play calls, particularly a nifty swing pass to a wide-open Jaylen Warren that set up the Jefferson touchdown.

Tomlin made it a point after the game to strike back at the popular local narrative that decried the team’s lack of quality depth at wide receiver, touting the capabilities of guys who don’t wear the number 14.

You guys were asking us about our lack of ‘number two’ in team development. The guys made plays where we throw the ball to make plays. The strength of the pack is the pack. We’ve got a bunch of guys that want to be the reasons why we’re successful. When given an opportunity, I think they continually prove that, whether Scotty or Mike or Calvin or Van. We believe in our group. I know I’ve said that to you guys repeatedly. Maybe you’ll start believing me.

That’s all well and good, and when you win by 13 against a team that stung you with a surprise loss a just two weeks prior, you get to puff your chest out a bit.

You wouldn’t want to make a living this way, though. The first half should have made that clear. The Steelers couldn’t create separation, didn’t have anyone that really threatened the Browns, and found the going tough as a result.

It should go without saying that the biggest reason they got away with this – and comfortably, at that – is because they were playing the Browns. Get stifled to the tune of 46 passing yards in the first half against Philadelphia, or Baltimore, or Kansas City, and tell me how that goes for you.

I’m willing to bet Tomlin wouldn’t be in a position to be singing, say, Miller’s praises after a game against one of those three teams.

Thanks for reading Nine Straight Threes! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Sunday proved that Wilson and Smith are a good enough, resourceful enough tandem to win even when they don’t have their full arsenal available. But the final score shouldn’t mask what was obvious to the naked eye: This offense can only be great when Pickens is on the field.

Taking it a step further, this offense can only be enough to win playoff games when Pickens is out there. You can beat the Browns and a few other teams this way, but it’s not a big list. He’s the piece that turns the offense from adequate to explosive.

I think Tomlin knows that, which is why he puts up with the occasional headache from his star wide receiver. I think Pickens’ teammates know that, too, which is why Freiermuth, by rights the next-most-dangerous receiving threat on the team, punted the ball into the stands after his touchdown, then gleefully explained himself afterwards.

I said if I scored I was going to punt it…it was a pretty good punt.

Asked whether it looked fun when Pickens did it against the Bengals, Freiermuth chuckled and said, “Someone had to get fined.”

You wouldn’t have to squint hard to see that as $7,878 (the first-time offender fine for kicking a ball into the stands) worth of team building, a little solidarity with a mercurial, competitive player who wanted to play but couldn’t.

Keeping Pickens focused on the task at hand isn’t always easy, but it is paramount. So is keeping him healthy. Don’t let 27 points and a collective pass-catching effort fool you. This team’s biggest offensive hopes and dreams still rest largely on the shoulders of number 14, and Sunday’s win only served to further emphasize that point.