Steelers WR George Pickens says it's easier to play on short weeks
The Pittsburgh Steelers play on Thursday Night Football against the Tennessee Titans. It’s a short week, which is generally seen as tougher than a regular. However, wide receiver George Pickens actually thinks short weeks are easier to play.
Pickens explained that the quick turnaround helps him, making it less of a challenge.
“It actually makes it a little better that you go right back at it,” George Pickens said. “It’s quicker. It’s not really a challenge, to be honest.”
One thing that will likely help the Steelers about the short week is that they’re coming off a tough loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The hope is that needing to quickly focus on Tennessee should help move on from that loss quickly.
At the same time, Pittsburgh would probably like a longer week to try and get healthy. That’s not an issue for George Pickens right now, but it is for starting quarterback Kenny Pickett, who was knocked out of the game against Jacksonville with a rib injury.
Pickett plans on playing against Tennessee, but the extra time of a regular week would have been huge for him.
“It’s frustrating, it’s part of the game though. I’ve been doing it for a little bit. It is what it is. You’ve just got to be available, and get ready to go on Thursday night,” Pickett said. “I’m playing, for sure.”
Even at this point in the season, this is a huge game for the Steelers. Pittsburgh is in a three-way tie for second place in the AFC North, trying to stay above .500 in early November.
Kenny Pickett emphasizes giving George Pickens more opportunities
The Pittsburgh Steelers have struggled early this season on the offensive side of the ball. This has, in turn, led to a lot of criticism for offensive coordinator Matt Canada. It’s also led to some people wondering why George Pickens isn’t getting the ball more.
Even quarterback Kenny Pickett has acknowledged that he wants to find a way to give Pickens more opportunities.
“I think we mesh really well together, personally … just where we’re very honest with each other on the field and … calling things like when we see it. You know, we’re on the same page. The communication off the field is awesome and on the sideline, he tells me what he sees, I tell him, and then we go out there and we execute. And you know, I always want to give him opportunities. I’ve been preaching that since I got here,” Pickett said.
“He’s a guy that if he’s one-on-one, he’s gotta get the football. He’s too good of a player not to give those opportunities to. Just want to continue doing that, continue to give him and Diontae [Johnson] as many opportunities as we can to help us win games. You know, if we do that, I think we’ll be successful.”