Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) celebrates after scoring a touchdown in the second quarter of of the NFL Week 11 game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022. Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

Steelers' George Pickens ejected for onside kick cheap shot

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated 11/20/22

Frustrations appeared to boil over for the Pittsburgh Steelers late in their loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, particularly for rookie wide receiver George Pickens.

Pickens was ejected after picking up an unnecessary roughness penalty late in the Steelers’ 37-30 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. The wide receiver was on the field to try to recover an onside kick attempt, but when Cincinnati’s Tyler Boyd got to the ball first, Pickett went in and took a bit of a cheap shot with his helmet.

#Steelers WR George Pickens was ejected for this hit on Tyler Boyd after he recovered an onside kick: pic.twitter.com/OfGVDgl6of

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) November 21, 2022

Pickens was ejected for the move, though it did not wind up mattering as the Bengals simply knelt and ran the clock out. The wide receiver’s mood probably was not helped by the fact that he dropped a likely touchdown catch moments earlier, though Pittsburgh still finished the drive with a score.

A second-round pick out of Georgia, nobody doubts Pickens’ outstanding talent, but there were some questions about his maturity. That led to him slipping a bit in the draft, so the Steelers will want to make sure moments like this do not become a habit.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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