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Steelers WR George Pickens on Wild Card loss to Bills: 'Have to beat the Bills and the refs'

Barkley-Truaxby:Barkley Truax•01/15/24•

BarkleyTruax

George Pickens
© Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens believed the Buffalo Bills were given a bit of extra help by the officiating crew during their 31-17 loss in the wild-card round.

Pickens was seen throwing his helmet on the sideline after an incomplete pass in the fourth quarter that he felt should have been called for pass interference. It was a heated moment, but still blamed the referees on hand for aiding the Bills in their quest for the divisional round.

“You can’t play the Bills and the refs at the same time,” Pickens said at his locker postgame. “When you go out there and try to make a play and they’re taking away calls, throwing a clear pass over Myles Jack‘s head and they threw a PI — it’s not catchable. So when guys go back to watch the film, watch the refs.”

The play that Pickens believes was a no-call by the officiating crew would result in a turnover on downs for the Steelers Trailing by two touchdowns at the time with under five minutes remaining remaining — the game was all but over at that point. If Pickens got his wish, Pittsburgh would have needed to score two more times to even tie the game up and send it to overtime.

Still, the call essentially ended the Steelers’ season, and with no time left to make a miracle comeback — Pickens and the rest of the Steelers are heading back to Pittsburgh and hitting the drawing board for the 2024-25 season.

Pickens was targeted 11 times on the night but hauled in just five receptions. He had 65 all-purpose yards and turned the ball over once. He finished the season as the Steelers’ No. 1 receiver with 63 receptions for 1,140 yards and five touchdowns.

Now, the biggest question for the Steelers this offseason will be whether or not longtime head coach Mike Tomlin remains with the team next year. He has one more season left on his current contract in Pittsburgh, but many have speculated that he will take a step back from football at the beginning of the offseason to assess his current situation with his family.

At 51, Tomlin has a ton of coaching to do if he wants to. If not in Pittsburgh, one team is bound to take a chance on one of the most successful head coaches in the league over the past two decades.