Steelers wideout George Pickens looked visibly frustrated in his team's blowout loss to the 49ers in Week 1. Trouble brewing in Pittsburgh?
There were probably too many reasons why the Steelers got steamrolled by the 49ers in Week 1.
The fact that the team could not get their passing game going andhad more completions behind the line of scrimmage than completions of 10-plus yards. The fact that the Steelers were hyped up too much in preseason and got a bitter taste of reality in facing an elite NFL defense. Matt Canada.
Pittsburgh's offense needs work, and soon, their team chemistry may need some work as well. Steelers second-year wide receiver George Pickens was visibly upset after the loss and blew off steam on social media.
On his most recent Instagram post, Pickens liked a comment from a user saying, "Nobody to get that man the ball tho", a little dig at Kenny Pickett and his inability to command the Steelers' passing attack.
In Week 1, Pickens finished second in targets and recorded five catches for 36 yards. When Diontae Johnson left the game with a hamstring injury, Pickens appeared to be in line for heavier usage, yet Allen Robinson ended up leading the team with five catches on eight targets for 64 yards.
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Pickens had been working on his yards-after-catch ability in the offseason and was highly touted by ex-Steeler Ryan Clark, who called him "more talented" than Justin Jefferson. While Jefferson was going for 100-plus yards in a single half in Week 1, Pickens couldn't even get Pickett to look his way.
The 2022 second-rounder entered 2023 hoping to build off of last year's 801 yardage total; his skills on the field may have improved, but his emotional maturity hasn't changed. During Week 1's game, he drew a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty after catching a pass and Mike Tomlin had to pull him off the field to calm him down. And immediately following the loss, Pickens reportedly bolted to the locker room without saying much to reporters.
Pickens' emotions clearly run high, and his slight at Kenny Pickett may have been out of general frustration more than directed anger at his quarterback.
If there's anyone to blame, a blatant scapegoat is standing on the sidelines: Matt Canada. The third-year offensive coordinator continued his abysmal track record on Sunday as the Steelers offense has now gone 36 consecutive games under Canada without recording 400 or more yards of offense.
Under Canada, the Steelers have scored one offensive touchdown or less in nine of their last 18 games, and they've been held to 20 or fewer points in 13 of their last 18 games.
Week 1's all about the blaming game for the 2023 Steelers. No one -- on the offense, at least -- is safe.