The Bengals held Pickens to arguably his worst game as a pro.
For as much maligned as the Cincinnati Bengals secondary has been this season, they were good when they needed to be on Saturday night in the Bengals’ 19-17 win at Pittsburgh.
Steelers wide receiver George Pickens, their No. 1 wide receiver, was held to one catch for zero yards.
Yes, that’s right. One catch. Zero yards.
“Everybody who guarded him ate today,” Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt said after the game. “They didn’t do sh%t. So that was good on our end. That’s (Pickens) their momentum-grabber, and we didn’t let them get no momentum.”
The Bengals had Pickens so flustered that he was seen arguing with fans during the broadcast.
A night to forget for George Pickens:
1 Rec
6 Targets
3 Drops
0 Rec Yards pic.twitter.com/EEk3G48rl4— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) January 5, 2025
The Bengals’ secondary performance Saturday night was the culmination of what’s been a turnaround during the team’s five-game winning streak. Ever since Pickens had three receptions for 74 yards and a touchdown in the Steelers’ Week 13 win at Cincinnati, the Bengals secondary has done a good job against players like CeeDee Lamb, Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, and Pickens on Saturday.
Alas, it wasn’t enough to get into the NFL Playoffs, but it was still fun to watch the Bengals send their rivals spiraling into what’s likely going to be a one-and-done playoff trip. Pittsburgh is currently a 10-point underdog vs. the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card Round.
