Four straight defeats. Struggling offense and defense. A befuddled head coach. An inconsistent quarterback. The Steelers faced an uphill battle against their wildcard opponent, the Baltimore Ravens. See, a team that was going into the clash on a 4-game losing streak was bound to struggle. But who knew that struggle would turn into horror that the Steelers Nation may have to live with for a long time? Well, the Steelers’ star receiver, George Pickens, probably had some idea of how their game would turn out.

Pickens did not really call out anyone from his coaches in Pittsburgh. But he did say in a twisted way that the Steelers weren’t ready for the Ravens game, “I’d probably say just getting the guys ready. When you come out, and guys are trying. Guys are trying their hardest the game of football is just gonna happen.” Now, if anyone did watch the game, they would probably say Mike Tomlin and his coaches deserve a fair share of blame. Multiple decisions did blow up in the face of Tomlin and his support staff.

One of those moments came during the second quarter when the Steelers were looking for 4th and inches. Tomlin, in a head-scratching way, decided it was better to go for a punt rather than trust his offense with that play. And you know what happened next? Well, the Ravens pulled off a 13-play offensive drive, which only included 85 rushing yards. So, to add a cherry on top, Derrick Henry was the one who capped off that drive with an 8-yard rushing TD.

Besides getting outplayed in the running game. The Steelers’ slow start was yet another issue that backfired on their chances to control the game early on. In their last five losses, the Steelers have given up 1,032 yards, compared to their 565 only in the first half. They have also found themselves heavily outscored 81-37, which yet again proved to be a fatal blow. Even with their season on the line, the Steelers failed to break that trend. As they trailed 21-0 during halftime and went on to eventually lose 28-14 to add another early playoff exit in their storied history.

So, with the Steelers going nowhere in their plans under Mike Tomlin. Pickens decided to clear the air on the possibility of him leaving after this season.

George Pickens teases his future plans with the Steelers

Pickens didn’t really have a great year to his standards in the NFL. After pulling a season with over 1,000 yards in 2023, Pickens’ numbers fell rapidly this year. The 23-year-old only managed to rack up 58 receptions for 900 receiving yards and just 3 TDs. Considering the fact he also missed 4 games this season because of his hamstring injury, still, those productions are nowhere near Pickens’ exceptional talent. So, losing to Baltimore, where he caught just 5 catches for 87 yards and 1 TD. That defeat was surely going to leave a bad taste in the Steelers WR’s mouth.

However, it seems Pickens still hasn’t given up on his future in Pittsburgh. Taking to his Instagram stories after the game, Pickens wrote, “Love y’all boys/girls steeler nation. We’ll be back!! Much love.” Now, the Steelers Nation would surely be happy seeing Pickens’ optimism for his team next year. But is he really excited for 2025? Well, judging by his thoughts on his O-line, we think not. When he was asked whether he had seen any growth in his O-line, Pickens gave a straightforward answer, “Yeah, I’ve seen signs of growth. I’ve been here, just way more growth, for sure.”

The next moment, when he was asked, “Does that make you optimistic going forward?” That’s when Pickens spilled his true thoughts: “Nah.” So, Steelers Nation—here’s your receiver. What do you think will he stick by his team beyond this season? Or will he go back on his word to the Steelers Nation?