Ravens Did Not Call George Pickens 'Soft'

Turns out, the Baltimore Ravens did not throw the first stone ahead of their playoff rivalry game.

Nov 17, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) catches a pass behind Baltimore Ravens cornerback Brandon Stephens (21) during the third quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

With the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers set to meet in the playoffs for the first time in a decade, it seemed natural to assume that there would be some trash talk leading up to Saturday night's game.

In that regard, the Ravens seemed to kick off the festivities. Baltimore Banner Sports released a video earlier this week of players trying Lamar Jackson's unisex cologne, Night Lights, with their lighthearted reactions making for a fun, wholesome video. However, comments apparently made by two players in the background about Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens wound up stealing the show.

“It smells like George Pickens,” one player seemingly said.

“Soft. Yeah, smells just like that,” another responded back.

That interpretation of the conversation spread rapidly across the internet, first to social media and then to various news outlets, us included.

As it turns out, though that wasn't at all how the conversation unfolded. For one, Baltimore Banner reporter Giana Han shot the video last week, well before the playoff matchup was set in stone. For two, the players in the background were actually discussing someone else entirely, with Pickens simply coming up in the conversation.

An unlisted video on the Baltimore Banner's YouTube channel gives a much better sample of the conversation.

“Yeah, just like that. Just the face alone, you wouldn’t even have to say the facial profile,” the second player actually said.

In retrospect, the actual conversation makes far more sense than the misinterpretation. The Ravens have been all business pretty much all season, so trash talking their greatest rival before a playoff game would've been very out of character. Additionally, the Ravens know the challenge ahead of them, so giving the Steelers bulletin-board material would've been less than ideal.

"We're playing the Steelers, so we know it's always tough," running back Derrick Henry told reporters During the season, those AFC North matchups are four-quarter battles, so that's what we anticipate. We don't take the opponent lightly, but we know it's an AFC North division opponent rivalry. We know it's going to be a four-quarter battle."

Yes, the actual story isn't very juicy or provocative, but it's important to set the record straight.

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