Russell Wilson defends George Pickens' Week 12 Hail Mary participation

   

While there may be a fine line between practice squad players and starters, there appears to be an enormous gap in the opinions of the former and current quarterbacks for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Oct 20, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) celebrates an 11 yard touchdown pass with quarterback Russell Wilson (3) iagainst the New York Jets during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Steelers QB Russell Wilson appears to hold a completely opposite stance to that of former legendary Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger regarding WR George Pickens’ less-than-ideal participation on Week 12's Hail Mary play, which led to Pittsburgh's third loss of the season.

While Roethlisberger pulled no punches on his podcast, stating that Pickens drove him "bonkers" during the game, Wilson defended his teammate and number one WR during Wednesday's media availability. As shown by ESPN reporter Brooke Pryor on social media, Wilson credited the Cleveland Browns' defense rather than placing any fault on Pickens:

This could be Wilson trying his best to keep his receiver in good spirits, but it is truly inspiring to see the quarterback display impressive qualities of leadership and poise after such a heartbreaking play and loss in Week 12.