Steelers Captain Responds to George Pickens Comments

The Pittsburgh Steelers captain doesn't necessarily agree with the argument made by the wideout.

Nov 10, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) celebrates after making a catch against the Washington Commanders during the second half at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers are looking to bounce back after a Week 12 loss to the Cleveland Browns, but they'll only have one game in between before seeing their AFC North rivals once again.

In a snow-covered game in Cleveland, the Steelers fell for the third time this season, losing 24-19. After the game, wide receiver George Pickens was the center of attention following a physical altercation with Browns cornerback Greg Newsome during a hail mary attempt to win.

Pickens made it clear after the game that he didn't believe the Browns were a good team, but rather, the weather played a role.

"Conditions played a huge, huge part in today’s game. I don’t really think the Cleveland Browns are a good team at all. The conditions kinda saved them," Pickens said.

Steelers captain Miles Killebrew was asked about the comments during an interview with 93.7 The Fan, and made it clear that both Pittsburgh and Cleveland were fighting the elements, but only one team walked away winners.

"Well, we weren't playing the conditions, we were playing the Browns, and they won the game and we didn't," Killebrew said. "At the end of the day, that's his opinion. He feels as though the Browns aren't that good of a team."

The Steelers special teams captain then shared a note from coordinator Danny Smith, who reminds the unit that it doesn't matter who's better, just who plays better.

"The fact of the matter stands that they played a better game than we did on Thursday. So whether or not they're a better team, I'll leave that to critics and people who may have better opinions than I do like [George] Pickens," Killebrew said. "But it doesn't matter at the end of the day, they beat us, so that's what it is."

This isn't the first time Pickens has been in the headlines for his words or actions, and not the first time teammates have been asked about those instances. But as head coach Mike Tomlin has acknowledged in the past, Pickens is still developing with maturity, and Pittsburgh will hope that growth continues with this situation.

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