The Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t have their strongest offensive performance Sunday without WR George Pickens available, but some of that may have had to do with the lack of time they had to prepare for life without him on the field. Mike Tomlin acknowledged that this week should look a little different in that regard.
“The strategy component? Certainly. Certainly, if he’s limited, and he’ll probably certainly will be limited at the early portions of the week, it’ll give guys an opportunity to get extended in-helmet perspective on their prep if they are to get expanded roles again this week,” Tomlin said during his Tuesday press conference via the Steelers’ YouTube channel.
For example, Scotty Miller didn’t know he was going to be active against the Cleveland Browns until right before the inactive list was announced. He ended up playing 34 snaps, which is nearly the most he’s played all season. He was inactive for the last two games and has mostly been inactive since the Steelers traded for Mike Wiliams.
Around that same time, Williams was informed that he would need to be ready to play X receiver more. It was a lot of sudden change for the group because, like the rest of us, most people thought Pickens was playing until 90 minutes before kickoff. Even Pat Freiermuth found out via a text from a friend that Pickens wasn’t playing. Freiermuth stated after the game that the game plan “didn’t change at all” without Pickens.
Given all of the moving parts, the receiving corps handled the challenge pretty well.
“I think that’s why I’m just so high on the collective,” Tomlin said. “Those guys might be new to us, but they’re not new to the National Football League. They’re pros, man, they behave that way. Whether you’re talking about Scotty Miller or Van Jefferson, or Ben Skowronek for that matter, I just think you saw shades of that in their performance.”
It couldn’t have possibly changed given that it happened 90 minutes before kickoff, but obviously the game plan needs to change without the WR1 being available. The defense is obviously going to handle things differently without him, so the offense needs to adjust. With proper prep time, that will now be a lot easier to manage, as Tomlin hinted.
Tomlin didn’t fully shut the door on Pickens playing in Week 15 but labeled him doubtful with a heavy lean toward him being out. With Pickens watching from the sideline, Russell Wilson had his least productive game of the year against the Browns with 15 completed passes on 26 attempts for 158 yards and two touchdowns. The Steelers made the big plays when it mattered the most, but it wasn’t exactly efficient. The Steelers punted six times.
Hopefully the prep time will allow for a more productive group on Sunday against the Eagles. The Steelers are going to need it to overcome an 11-2 team on the road.
