After being eliminated from the playoffs by the Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens offered his thoughts on the 31-17 loss. Pickens argued that the Steelers were in a no-win situation since they had to play both the Bills and the officials on Monday evening.
“Refs. Refs. Refs. “That is the only thing on my mind,” Pickens told a group of Pittsburgh media members. “You won’t win a game if you have to beat the Bills and the refs.” That is what I truly believe happened to us today.
Pickens continued his rant against the officials with the media.
“Like I said before, you can’t play the Bills and the refs at the same time. When you’re out there trying to make the plays… They’re just taking away calls. Throwing a clear pass over Myles Jack’s head… They called (pass interference). It’s not catchable. Just politically, when you guys go back and watch the game, and watch the refs.”
Pickens was noticeably agitated on the bench during the loss after being targeted on a fourth-down pass. He believed Dane Jackson held him, resulting in the incompletion, but no flags were raised. He had five receptions for 50 yards and one carry for 15 yards in the loss. Pickens also caused a turnover early in the game when he fumbled while returning a reception to the ground.
Despite his comments, the officials scored no points against the Steelers, while Josh Allen threw three touchdown passes and ran for a fourth in the win.
