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PITTSBURGH – Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens got some heat from Ben Roethlisberger for “fighting” before the Hail Mary pass in Thursday night’s loss to the Cleveland Browns. Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson believes Pickens got interfered with on the play, however.
“George is always trying to make a play, obviously. Unfortunately, I believe he was getting pushed out and he was trying to get to the spot,” Wilson said on Wednesday. “It’s an unfortunate situation. He was trying to get to the spot where I threw it to, and he got carried out of the end zone on that, unfortunately. He was trying to fight for the ball, you know. We have so much believe in George and obviously he has proven that with what he’s been able to do for us. He’s one of the world’s best at what he does.”
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin had a similar response as Wilson during his Tuesday press conference. He pointed the finger at Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II, who had a post-play skirmish with George Pickens.
“I think their actions had something with (Pickens) not being in position to (make a play on the ball),” Tomlin said with a laugh.
In the clip below, it shows that Newsome was indeed pushing Pickens out before the pass landed in the end zone.
George Pickens fighting Greg Newsome during the Hail Mary LMFAO pic.twitter.com/1QT1sN1w5o
— Clay Fink (@clay_fink) November 22, 2024
Pickens tried to throw Newsome into the wall behind the end zone after a failed Hail Mary attempt, similar to what he did at Georgia.
When asked about what happened at the end of the game, Pickens simply said “Nothing.” Pickens feels like the weather played a big part in the loss and the Browns are not a good team at all. Pickens was held to four receptions for 48 yards (12.0 average) in the game.
“The conditions were so bad,” Pickens said when asked about a third-quarter missed connection between him and Russell Wilson. “I don’t even think the QB could see sometimes. When you’ve got conditions like that at the opponent’s home field, it kinda plays in their favor. …
“The 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 kinda saved them today.”
Alan Saunders provided reporting from Pittsburgh.
The post Russell Wilson Defends George Pickens on Hail Mary Skirmish: ‘He Was Getting Pushed Out’ appeared first on Steelers Now.
