Mike Tomlin: It's Time For George Pickens To ‘Grow Up’

Mike Tomlin might finally be growing tired of George Pickens' antics.

The Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver was flagged for two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in Sunday's 44-38 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Both penalties minimized the impact of two catches made by Pickens.

WATCH: George Pickens Penalized Twice For Unsportsmanlike Conduct Vs. Bengals

Sure, the Steelers won the game anyway. But in his post-game press conference, Tomlin admitted that Pickens' immaturity is costing the team.

"You just have to grow up, man," Tomlin said. "It's an emotional game. These divisional games are big. He has a target on his back because he's George (Pickens). He understands that, but he has to grow up. He has to grow up in a hurry." 

One of Pickens' flags on Sunday came for taunting, and the other for making a "gun" gesture to signal a first down. But this is far from the first time he's caused issues for his team. Pickens is prone to emotional outbursts, and just last week, the 23-year-old had to be escorted off the field in Cleveland after a fight with Browns cornerback Greg Newsome.

READ: George Pickens Continued The Steelers-Browns Tradition Of Throwing Punches On TNF

Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson echoed his coach's sentiments about Pickens — although in a slightly more subtle way.

"I was telling him on the sideline, 'When you're one of the best in the world, you expect to make those plays, you don't need to do anything extra necessarily,'" Wilson said following Sunday's win. "He responded and did well with that. 

"He knows that he can help us in such a great way. He has all year. He's a great teammate... one of the best teammates in how he works. He's learning every day. He's gotta be smarter, too, though, and he's gonna do that." 

George Pickens is a walking yellow flag.

(Photo by Jane Gershovich/Getty Images)

The 9-3 Steelers will host the Browns on Sunday. We'll see if Pickens and Newsome can play nice this time.