George Pickens Is a New Believer in Steelers vs. Bengals Rivalry

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cincinnati Bengals rivalry has more history than a rookie wide receiver can learn in one week, but George Pickens has obtained plenty of knowledge from his teammates about what to expect this weekend.

Heading into his first NFL regular season game, Pickens is thrilled. He described the feeling much like the preseason, saying he's equally excited to go out and play a team other than his own.

As for the rivalry, he's looking for this to be "real."

"They told me it's a real rivalry. I thought everything is the same playing field, where you play doesn't matter. But the Bengals is a real rivalry toward us being the Steelers."

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This rivalry has had plenty of big names receivers in it, from Hines Ward and Antonio Brown to Chad Ochocini and T.J. Houshmanzahda. This year, Pickens, Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool will meet Ja'Marr Chase, Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins, which could spark another generation of great wideouts in the AFC North battle.

There's also the added intensity that the Steelers lost both games against the Bengals last season, and they're returning as AFC champions. Pickens isn't too concerned, though, saying the team is going to go out and execute no matter who they are.

"That's a big stigma on it since they did play in it last year against the Rams," Pickens said. "But it's a new record. Everybody is 0-0. We're going to have a lot of fun. Just going to compete."

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