Since Russell Wilson took over as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting quarterback, George Pickens has been unbelievable. Every week, it seems like Pickens makes an insane catch. Their skill sets complement each other perfectly. Pickens is a spectacular-catch machine while Wilson’s greatest strength is his deep ball. That combination certainly has Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr’s attention.
“It’s real dangerous,” Orr said Thursday via the team’s website. “He’s been a dangerous, downfield threat since he came into the league. We’ve known that, as a rookie. I think he has the unique and crazy ability to judge the ball no matter where it’s at and then come down with it and get his feet in bounds and make these acrobatic catches.
“Then, Russ has always been a threat with his deep ball throwing. So now you add those two guys together, well shoot, it’s explosiveness. It’s dynamite.”
It didn’t take long for Pickens and Wilson to develop a connection. In Wilson’s first game, Pickens recorded five catches for 111 yards and his first touchdown of the season. That wasn’t a fluke either. Against the New York Giants, Pickens put up 74 receiving yards. Last Sunday, he caught five balls for 91 yards and another touchdown.
When in doubt, Wilson has tossed the ball up and allowed Pickens to make a play. That strategy has been good enough to help the Steelers average 30 points over their last three games. With the Ravens having the worst pass defense in the league, expect Wilson to continue launching the ball to Pickens.
During his rookie year, he recorded three catches for 78 yards against the Ravens. He had another fantastic game against them last year too, including the game-winning touchdown. There’s likely nothing about his game that will surprise him.
However, with Wilson throwing him the ball, Pickens has looked as good as he ever has in the NFL. In prior years, he hasn’t really had a quarterback who can push the ball downfield as well as Wilson. That’s been a huge boost for him over the past few weeks.
It does sound like Orr might force someone else to beat the Ravens over the top. A few weeks ago, that might have been a more daunting prospect. Now, Mike Williams might force the Ravens to spread themselves a little thinner than they’d like defensively.
To keep up with the high-flying Ravens’ offense, Wilson and Pickens might need to keep their connection going strong. It’s been tough for anyone to stop the Ravens. This game might come down to which team can make more big plays. Wilson and Pickens have proven they can rise to the occasion — something Orr knows all too well.
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