Just a few weeks ago, the local and national media were coming down hard on second-year WR George Pickens for a lack of effort on a would-be touchdown run by RB Jaylen Warren against the Indianapolis Colts. The Steelers went on to score a couple plays later anyways, but Pickens opting to not block was blatant and rightfully drew criticism. It was made worse later in the week when he was asked about it and claimed he was trying to avoid injury.
The situation was undoubtedly magnified by the Steelers’ three game losing skid that put their season at risk, but it created a large distraction that week.