Steelers’ Mike Tomlin Lectured George Pickens for Loafing in Loss to Patriots

The Steelers suffered a brutal loss to the Patriots on Thursday night, losing to a team that entered the game just two wins for the second consecutive week. Pittsburgh’s offense struggled the entire game, and wide receiver George Pickens especially had a tough night with five catches for just 19 yards.

Pickens showed his frustration throughout the game, as his body language revealed a wide receiver who seemed to be letting the lack of production get into his head. That included a moment in the second quarter when Pickens appeared to not fully commit to a block on a run play, something that commentator Kirk Herbstreit criticized on the Amazon Prime Video broadcast.

Then, in the third quarter, Thursday Night Football broadcast cameras caught coach Mike Tomlin giving Pickens a lecture, and Herbstreit speculated the conversation was about Pickens’ effort in the game.

“He’s just communicating how important it is for him to show some maturity and to just keep fighting to be a part of what this offense is trying to do,” Herbstreit said.

However, Pickens’ body language didn’t appear to improve after that talk with Tomlin. After a key moment in the fourth quarter, when the Steelers turned the ball over on downs while trailing by 11, Pickens again showed his frustration with the offense.

Pickens has endured an up-and-down tenure in two seasons with the Steelers, but he does boast 1,568 career receiving yards and seven touchdown catches in 30 games.