A crucial missed late-game opportunity for the Pittsburgh Steelers led to an explosive sideline reaction from receiver George Pickens during Sunday’s 31–17 wild-card playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Pickens’s viral lowlight occurred with under five minutes left in the fourth quarter following a play where it appeared the officiating crew missed a pass interference call on Bills cornerback Dane Jackson as he covered the wideout on fourth-and-3.
The apparent no-call resulted in a turnover on downs on Pittsburgh’s second-to-last possession with the team down two scores, a pivotal scenario that left Pickens none too pleased. Moments after returning to the bench, the second-year receiver hurled his helmet into a sideline cooler before angrily walking out his frustrations:
George Pickens was looking for a call pic.twitter.com/iz8QjCp15s
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 16, 2024
On a night when Pittsburgh hoped for an upset, the outcome instead left Pickens and the Steelers a little more than upset with their season coming to an end.
As for Pickens, who’s been known to wear his emotions on his sleeve, the moment made for a less than ideal end to a season in which he hauled in a career-best 1,140 yards and five touchdowns for the scrappy 10–7 Steelers.
