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Steeler' George Pickens, Brandon Aiyuk Lead NFL in Unflattering Stat

The Steelers' top wide receiver is currently leading the NFL in a statistic he undoubtedly wasn't planning to.

Jacob Punturi

Sep 8, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) makes a catch in front of Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell (24) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
Sep 8, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) makes a catch in front of Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell (24) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
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PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers improved to 4-2 following a victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. It was an incomplete effort, with their offense doing little in the air. Thankfully their rushing attack reached another level, with three scores on the ground in their most recent victory.

The Steelers are still figuring out how to get their passing game where it needs, but they know it involves keeping George Pickens heavily involved. That wasn't the case during their loss against the Dallas Cowboys, but he had a bounce-back contest against the Raiders.

Still, Pickens has racked up 363 receiving yards on the year but has yet to find the end zone in 2024. It's a decent stat line through six games, but it's also the most amount of yards amongst receivers in the NFL without any touchdowns this season, according to StatMuse.

The good news is that Pickens is not alone. Joining him is former Steelers' trade target and current San Francisco 49ers pass-catcher Brandon Aiyuk, who has 351 receiving yards. It's a fitting list for the receivers to be on, as the chatter all season was largely geared towards how explosive both would be this season. They have each struggled to meet those expectations and now both are experiencing criticism for their performance.

Despite the criticism aimed at Pickens, his production so far is largely in line with his career production. He's on pace to be right around 1,000 yards receiving again this season, which would be his second straight 1,000-yard season and the third straight year he eclipsed the 800-yard mark.

He's also on pace to record the highest number of receptions in his career. Last year he hauled in 63 passes, and with the 23 catches he already has, he's on pace to pass that mark in 2024. While he has yet to score a touchdown this year, the Steelers are confident Pickens will be able to remove himself from this unflattering category soon.

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Jacob Punturi
JACOB PUNTURI

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