George Pickens’ finger penalty short-circuits Steelers’ potential goals against Bengals

George Pickens put the Steelers in the red zone on Sunday on a pass from Russell Wilson.

He quickly eliminated them with a celebratory penalty on a drive that stalled and ended scoreless on a blocked field goal.

The penalty was Pickens’ second of the day for unsportsmanlike conduct. Both penalties drew a warning from Steelers right tackle Broderick Jones.

Pickens’ Finger Gun Proves Expensive

Pickens’ second penalty came on Pittsburgh’s first possession of the second half. With the Steelers leading 27-21, Pickens caught a deep ball from Wilson down the right sideline on second and seven. The 36-yard gain put Pittsburgh on the Cincinnati 13-yard line.

But his post-play celebration made it easy for the referees to call a penalty. Pickens raised his right hand with two fingers extended in a finger gun aimed toward the stands in the end zone in Cincinnati. Pickens was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, a 15-yard penalty that pushed the Steelers to the 28-yard line.

After the penalty, Jones pulled Pickens aside to talk to him.

The Steelers didn’t pick up a first down from there. Instead, they gained five yards and settled for a Chris Boswell field goal attempt. Cincinnati blocked the kick and the Steelers were left scoreless after initially advancing to the Bengals 13-yard line on Pickens’ big gain.

Pickens is lucky the penalty didn’t result in an ejection. He had already been flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct in the first quarter and received a warning.

Pickens had already been warned of possible expulsion

This penalty also came after a big gain that resulted in a Steelers first down. Pickens caught a pass on a crossing route on third-and-8 for a 21-yard gain to the Cincinnati 47-yard line. After the play, Pickens dropped the ball directly to Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt, who Pickens beat during the play and who was lying face down on the turf.

The dropped ball resulted in a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty for what officials ruled was provocation.

The mocking designation was accompanied by a warning that Pickens would be expelled for another offense. Fortunately for Pickens, officials did not consider his second unsportsmanlike penalty a provocation, and he remained in the game.

As with his second penalty, Pickens’ first prompted Jones to pull him aside to share a few words. On that drive, the Steelers finally scored a touchdown to tie the game at 14-14.

Officials had previously declined to flag Pickens for a celebration of Pittsburgh’s first score of the day. On that one, Pickens received a 17-yard screen pass from Wilson for a touchdown to tie the game at 7-7 in the first quarter. After the score, Pickens threw the ball into the stands.

It all adds up to Pickett’s well-rounded experience, with big, game-changing plays and avoidable post-play mistakes costing his team.