Too cocky? George Pickens blames extreme weather conditions for loss to Cleveland, takes unnecessary dig at the Browns
Steelers' George Pickens put the entire blame for the loss against the Browns on the extreme weather conditions, not team's shortcomings.
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George Pickens blamed poor weather for loss against Browns (Via Imago/AP News)
The Pittsburgh Steelers, who are ranked top in the AFC North, are coming off a humiliating loss against divisional rivals, Cleveland Browns at 24-19. While players such as TJ Watt have acknowledged the shortcomings of the team, wide receiver George Pickens has put the entire blame for the loss on the extreme weather conditions.
Downplaying his opponents’ impressive performance, Pickens argued that if it wasn’t for the poor weather, the Steelers would not have lost the Thursday Night Football match. He gave the same reason for also failing to connect with quarterback Russell Wilson in the end zone for a late touchdown catch.
Conditions played a huge, huge part in today’s game. I don’t really think the Cleveland Browns are a good team at all. I think the conditions kind of saved them today. The snow, the conditions were so bad. I don’t even think the QB could see sometimes. And when you got conditions like that, at the opponent’s home field, it kind of plays in their favor.
George Pickens told the media in the locker room
Pickens finished the game with four catches on seven targets for a mere 48 yards. Besides blaming the weather, he also called out the officials for not calling a pass interference on cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. in the fourth quarter, when the Steelers wide receiver fell due to the minimal contact during a deep pass attempt from Justin Fields.
Greg Newsome II taunts George Pickens after feud in Steelers’ loss
While Pickens refused to take accountability for the Steelers’ shocking loss against the lowest-ranked AFC North club, the Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II taunted the wideout on social media, writing “Fake tough guy,” by retweeting Pickens’ locker room media interaction shared by Ari Meirov.
#Browns CB Greg Newsome on George Pickens: https://t.co/6ISMsg90wI pic.twitter.com/tWDtP1qrsY
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) November 22, 2024
Interestingly, the two also got into a brutal physical altercation in the middle of the game during a Hail Mary attempt by Pittsburgh. Pickens and Newsome stepped out of bounds and slammed into the padded railing before the officials intervened to separate them.
When asked about the incident post-game, Pickens refused to address it and dismissed all questions with a one-word response, “Nothing.” Nonetheless, the game entered in Steelers’ third loss of the season and made head coach Mike Tomlin realize how his team is failing to execute plays more efficiently.
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Pratyusha Srivastava
(2192 Articles Published)