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NFL Fans Strongly Disagreed With Offensive Pass Interference Call on George Pickens

The Steelers receiver could've picked up a 36-yard gain.

Madison Williams

Pittsburgh Steelers receiver George Pickens shoves Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell Jr. when trying to catch a ball.
Pittsburgh Steelers receiver George Pickens shoves Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell Jr. when trying to catch a ball. / Fox/Screengrab
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The Pittsburgh Steelers needed a big gain in the first half of Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons, and a huge pass to George Pickens from quarterback Justin Fields looked like just what the team needed.

That was until the referees threw a flag on Pickens calling offensive pass interference.

It looked like a 36-yard play for the Steelers on third-and-9 until the penalty was called on Pickens. The Steelers were then pushed back for a third-and-19, which they failed to convert and were forced to punt the ball.

Many fans online couldn't believe a penalty was called on Pickens. It appeared Pickens shoved his defender, Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell Jr. before he caught the ball. But, some argued the shove wasn't hard enough to warrant a penalty.

Some fans expressed their disagreement with the penalty on X (formerly known as Twitter) after the flag was thrown. Here are some of the reactions.

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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.

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