Baltimore Beatdown
The Pittsburgh Steelers have traded wide receiver George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys.
On Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Steelers traded their second-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, wide receiver George Pickens, to the Dallas Cowboys.
Pickens was a Steeler for three seasons and routinely was a thorn in the Ravens’ side. His departure is a positive for the Ravens, though they’re not without a different star receiver with D.K. Metcalf being acquired by the Steelers this offseason.
But how big of a loss is this for the Steelers — or a benefit for Baltimore?
Pickens vs. Ravens
In five regular season games against the Ravens, Pickens went 4-1. In their lone playoff matchup, he went 0-1. But the win total doesn’t paint the full picture.
Game 1 — Dec. 11, 2022
The first contest between Pickens and the Steelers, he showed out. Though the Steelers lost 16-14, his presence was revealed. He caught all three targets thrown his way for 78 yards. The first reception being a deep shot against Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Williams for 42 yards, moving the Steelers to the 7-yard line. The next play, Pickens drew a DPI penalty on Humphrey in the end zone, and running back Najee Harris scored one play later. His second reception went for 25 yards, once more against Humphrey. Down by six, the Steelers kickstarted their drive with an 11-yard catch to Pickens... against Humphrey.
Ultimately, the Steelers lost as the drive ended with a 40-yard field goal block by Calais Campbell and running out the clock as the Ravens had Anthony Brown as their third-string quarterback in the game.
Game 2 — Jan. 1, 2023
The beginning of the game, Kenny Pickett couldn’t sync up with Pickens. His first pass to Pickens was defended by Brandon Stephens. His second reception target was an illegal touch pass on Pickens.
Then, he converted a critical 3rd & 14 with a 14-yard reception against Stephens. The drive finished with a 51-yard field goal by Boswell to cut the Ravens’ lead, 13-6.
A drive later, he gained another 15 yards against Stephens as the Steelers marched downfield for a 33-yard field goal to further slash the lead, 13-9.
The Ravens’ applied more pressure toward Pickens’ way and were scorched by Pat Freiermuth and Steven Sims, as the due gained 52 yards in three plays, and made it into Ravens’ territory. A few plays later, Harris caught a Pickens touchdown throw and took the 16-13 lead with 56 seconds remaining. The Ravens, with backup quarterback Tyler Huntley, failed to drive the ball down for a tie as he was intercepted by Minkah Fitzpatrick and lost, 16-13.
Game 3 — Oct. 8, 2023
The second-year bump for Pickens was real as he finished the season with 1,140 yards and five touchdowns, and led the NFL in 2023 with 18.1 yards per reception. And in Week 5, he carved the Ravens’ defense, finishing with six receptions for 130 yards and a touchdown and a 16-yard run....
