‘You just have to grow up, man’ – George Pickens again draws negative attention, even as he makes plays for Steelers

CINCINNATI — Teammate Broderick Jones twice was compelled to put his arm around George Pickens in an effort to get through to him. Quarterback and captain Russell Wilson addressed Pickens on the sideline.

Sunday’s 44-38 Pittsburgh Steelers win against the Cincinnati Bengals was a game in which Pickens showed how dynamic a player he is but also why he comes across as so mercurial.

Pickens’ contributions — including a touchdown and a 36-yard catch — played significant roles in the victory. But a pair of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties almost gave all of that goodwill back, in addition to threatening to result in a potential ejection.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin says WR George Pickens is a target but offers rare criticism for the two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties against the Bengals: He’s got to grow up in a hurry. pic.twitter.com/zD36GbcZ2t

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) December 1, 2024

“You just have to grow up, man,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said after the game in a rare instance in which he has publicly criticized his talented third-year receiver.

“It’s an emotional game. These divisional games are big. He has a target on his back because he’s George. He understands that, but he has to grow up. He has to grow up in a hurry.”

Pickens’ first penalty Sunday was drawn when he dropped a ball into the lap of prone Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt after a 21-yard gain in the first quarter. Deemed “taunting” by officials, it cost the Steelers 15 yards.

Pickens again was assessed a 15-yard penalty early in the third quarter when, after a 37-yard catch, he held a hand up toward the crowd at Paycor Stadium and appeared to mimic pulling a trigger on a gun.

Asked about it after the game, Pickens insisted the hand was merely signaling “first down.”

“(Officials) got the gesture wrong,” Pickens said. “They thought it was something else. You can’t hurt the team. I never intend to hurt the team. (The official) just thought it was something different.”

George Pickens said the 2nd unsportsmanlike conduct flag was for a misidentified hand gesture.

On if his penalties hurt the team: “That’s something I already know. I would probably just say the refs thinking different gestures could probably hurt the team.” pic.twitter.com/m4MEX91oXn

— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) December 1, 2024

Although a player can face ejection for two unsportsmanlike conduct infractions during the same game, Pickens’ second penalty did not fall under the official definition of “taunting” because it was directed at fans and not the opponent.

Still, Pickens’ 30 yards of penalties dropped his net contributions to the Steelers on Sunday to just 44 yards (he finished with three receptions for 74 yards).

Wilson indicated his discussions with Pickens included reminding him that negative actions can hurt the team.

“That is something that I already know,” Pickens said. “I would just probably say, the refs thinking different gestures could probably hurt the team. But I never want to hurt the team, and you never want to take penalties.”

Jones’ friendship with Pickens goes back virtually longer than any other current teammate because they played together at Georgia. After each Pickens penalty, Jones held Pickens and talked to him demonstratively.

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“Because he’s such an emotional guy, you just have to let him know, ‘Next play,’ ” Jones said. “You did that (mistake), it’s over with, next play. Make another play. But just be smart. No dumb (stuff).

“We just have to stay on him. Great player. I just looked at him, I tried to get him right. I feel like we’re brothers. We have been together for so long, I feel like I know what makes him click and what doesn’t, so I try to always talk to him and stay in his ear.”

The Steelers seem to be spending plenty of time and energy trying to get Pickens to stay focused. Ten days before the game in Cincinnati, a loss at the Browns ended when he was tussling with Cleveland cornerback Greg Newsome as a Hail Mary pass was falling incomplete.

Earlier this season, he was fined for a profane message on his eyeblack and for pulling Dallas Cowboys defensive back Jourdan Lewis down by the facemask after the final play of an October defeat.

“You just have to understand that, when you’re one of the best receivers in the world, everybody’s going to have their eyes on you,” Wilson said. “And you’ve just got to understand that just to stay neutral, stay poised in those moments and still bring excitement. Don’t change that. I was telling him on the sideline, when you’re one of the best in the world, you expect to make those plays. You don’t need to do anything extra necessarily.”

Pickens has 55 receptions for 850 yards and three touchdowns in 12 games this season. He entered Sunday in the top five in the NFL in receiving yards per game among receivers who had appeared in all of their team’s games this season.

Pickens called Sunday’s game “ticky-tack,” and when asked if he believed officials (or opponents) are targeting him, said, “I hope not.”

“I can just keep running my routes, keep playing,” Pickens said. “You’ve got refs out there making certain calls for certain penalties, certain flags.”