George Pickens Penalized Twice For Unsportsmanlike Conduct Vs. Bengals

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On Sunday, George Pickens did what George Pickens does best… he angered the officiating crew.

During Pittsburgh's Week 13 match-up against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Steelers wide receiver racked up two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, costing his team valuable yardage.

The first one happened after Pickens picked up a first down on a 21-yard catch and run from Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson. After the play ended, the wideout dropped the ball onto Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt, who was on the ground. He then chirped something at the Cincinnati bench.

That penalty set the Steelers back 15 yards.

Pickens was penalized again in the third quarter for making a gun gesture. One could argue he was just harmlessly signaling a first down. But with the NFL cracking down on any and all gun-related celebrations, it wasn't a wise move.

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Pickens disagreed with the call, but he appeared to get a stern talking-to from teammate Broderick Jones.

Pickens, a second round pick by the Steelers in 2022, currently leads the team in receptions and receiving yards this season.

But Sunday's game is far from the first time Pickens' lack of discipline has become a problem. Last season, he regularly criticized the Steelers' offense while also showing a remarkable lack of effort on his own part. He's also been known to play dirty and get involved with in-game fights.

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"You definitely gotta feel for him," Steelers backup QB Justin Fields said in October. "He's just passionate about the game, like we talked about earlier this year. He knows how great of a player he is ... I try to talk to him on the sideline, keep him up. 

"I think that's the biggest thing, you know, keep him going, and just try to talk to him throughout the whole game and stay in his ear and say, 'We're gonna need you to make a play soon, and when it happens, we're gonna need you.'"

They're gonna need you NOT to negate big plays with stupid penalties. Pretty sure that's how Justin meant to end that sentence.