George Pickens hauls in 33-yard TD from Kenny Pickett in preseason opener
Pittsburgh Steelers receiver George Pickens wasted no time making an impact during his team’s preseason opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Friday.
On the Steelers’ opening drive from Raymond James Stadium, Pickens hauled in a 33-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Kenny Pickett to give Pittsburgh a 6-0 lead.
Pickens’ touchdown grab capped off a masterful 10-play, 83-yard drive from the Steelers’ first-string offense — albeit against the Buccaneers’ second-string defense. Still, it’s precisely what head coach Mike Tomlin wanted to see from his offense in one series of work, and exactly what Pickens promised the offense would look like in 2023.
The former Georgia standout said last month he expects the offense to be more vertical this season, a welcome change from what was a mostly stagnant offense last season.
With Pickett under center in 2022 (12 starts), the Steelers ranked 32nd in the NFL in passing yards per attempt. Additionally, Pickett sat 32nd in the league in passer rating and dead last in touchdown-to-interception ratio (among 33 qualified quarterbacks).
“That’s more of an explosive hint,” Pickens said. “Like, we’re gonna probably take more shots this year. Try to mix it up a little bit.”
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