**Does George Pickens’ injury seriously jeopardize the Steelers’ chances of winning the AFC North?**
The Steelers have a two-game lead over the Ravens, their only competition for the AFC North crown. They also have a 1-0 edge over Baltimore in the season series, and are 3-1 in the division. The Ravens are 2-2, with games remaining against the Steelers and Browns.
But the Steelers have the harder schedule, particularly through this next stretch. In a span of 11 days, they play the Eagles in Philadelphia and the Ravens in Baltimore before hosting the Chiefs. Outside of the Steelers game, the Ravens still play the Giants, Texans, and Browns. The Texans are a good team, but they’re not the Eagles or Chiefs—both of whom already beat Baltimore.
And now WR George Pickens is unlikely to play in the Steelers’ next game—in fact, he may be unlikely to play the next couple games, or even the next three. To face the Eagles and Ravens, maybe even the Chiefs, without Pickens, would be a severe handicap.
While the Steelers managed to score 27 points against the Browns without Pickens, the Browns is the Browns. That was the first game he has ever missed in his career. The Steelers have never had to play the Ravens without Pickens, for example, whom he plays well.
Consider this: in five games against the Ravens, Pickens has 326 yards and a touchdown for the Steelers. I’m sure you remember that touchdown—it was arguably the highlight of Kenny Pickett’s career. Earlier this year, Pickens caught eight passes for 89 yards for the Steelers against the Ravens.
While the Ravens would need to be nearly flawless the rest of the season, the Steelers can’t slip with four games remaining. But their margin for error greatly diminishes without George Pickens. Mike Williams will see more targets, but he isn’t George Pickens. All the Steelers need to do to win the AFC North is beat the Ravens. But can they do that without Pickens, if his injury lingers?
_The Steelers’ 2024 season is underway, following another disappointing year ending in a first-round playoff loss. They have had a long offseason since the Buffalo Bills stamped them out of their misery back in January. There are positive signs, but things could jump off the rails any moment._
_The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question._ [_Is Russell Wilson earning a lucrative new deal next year_](https://steelersdepot.com/2024/11/fittipaldo-believes-russell-wilson-not-justin-fields-will-get-second-contract-with-steelers/)_, and is Justin Fields still in consideration? How will the team continue to_ [_address the depth chart_](https://www.steelers.com/team/players-roster/)_, which is surprisingly still in flux?_
_The regular season is here, following weeks of camp and preseason games. The Steelers made numerous moves through signings and trade—and release. More than usual, they seemed comfortable creating holes, confident they can fill them. Some they managed to fill, others not so much. Now that we have so many pieces of the puzzle, however, we merely have a new set of questions to ask._