CLEVELAND – Mitch Trubisky admitted on Tuesday that he realized he needed to get rookie wide receiver George Pickens more involved in the Pittsburgh Steelers offense.
He did that late in the first quarter when he let it rip to Pickens streaking down the sideline in front of the Cleveland Browns bench.
Pickens hauled in the 36-yard reception with a one-handed grab, gripping the ball against his body as he struck the ground. Prior to Thursday’s game, Pickens had only two catches for 26 yards. Pickens still made the disputed catch while heavily covered by Martin Emerson Jr. The longest pass play this year for the Steelers was completion of 36 yards.
The grab gave the Steelers’ offense the opportunity to score on a 5-yard touchdown run by Najee Harris a few plays later, tying the score at 7-7 and displaying the sort of aggressiveness and explosiveness the team lacked in the first two weeks.