George Pickens has taken his share of internal and external criticism over the last week in the aftermath of his performance against the Colts.
But Pickens has made a pair of great plays to help the Steelers build a 24-0 halftime lead over the Bengals.
Pickens caught a short pass on Pittsburgh’s second play from scrimmage and turned it into an 86-yard touchdown to give his club an early 7-0 lead.
Then with time winding down in the second quarter, Pickens made an outstanding catch on a deep ball along the left sideline, getting both of his feet in for a 44-yard gain. That helped put Pittsburgh in scoring position, and kicker Chris Boswell sent a 50-yard field goal through the uprights to give the Steelers a 24-point advantage.
Pickens has three catches for 129 yards. His career-high in receiving yards is 130, which he recorded in Week 5 of this season.
The Steelers have generally had their way with the Bengals so far on Saturday, scoring touchdowns on three of their first four possessions. Calvin Austin rushed for a 7-yard score and Najee Harris had a 3-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
Making his first start since 2021, Mason Rudolph has played well, going 12-of-19 for 193 yards with a touchdown.
On the other side, quarterback Jake Browning has not. He’s 16-of-22 for 146 yards with a pair of interceptions — each of which led to a Pittsburgh touchdown. Browning’s first interception came on third-and-9 from the Steelers 16 and kept points off the board. The quarterback may have been trying to throw the ball away, but it floated into the arms of Patrick Peterson, who’s playing safety, instead.
Browning then threw an interception to Eric Rowe on a pass intended for Tyler Boyd, which Rowe returned all the way to the Cincinnati 14.
The Bengals’ best chance to score came late in the half but Browning’s pass to Tee Higgins in the end zone on fourth-and-1 was incomplete.
On the injury front, Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts has been ruled out with a pectoral injury. In his first game of the 2023 season, Myles Jack has come in to replace Roberts as the defensive signal-caller.
Pittsburgh will receive the second-half kickoff.
