The Pittsburgh Steelers are set to face off against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 8. And ahead of the matchup, Steelers star wide receiver George Pickens offered a backhanded compliment about the Jaguars defense.
Pickens was asked about the Jaguars’ ability to defend the pass, which they have struggled to do in recent weeks. And he was quick to credit their defensive line for their efforts this far this season.
“I think they defend on the D-line a lot,” said Pickens via Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. With their first-round guys, they depend on them a lot.”
This part of his response is nothing out of the ordinary, speaking highly of a talented part of their Week 8 opponent’s defense. However, his comments about the rest of the Jaguars defense, particularly their secondary, were far less complimentary…
“They kind of hope the guys can hold up long enough,” said Pickens of the Jaguars secondary. “They kind of have a hope defense.”
Calling the Jaguars a “hope defense” are certainly words that he could end up regretting if their game in Week 8 doesn’t go in their favor.
Many fans didn’t think it was all that wise to bash that part of the Jaguars’ defense ahead of the game, as it can certainly be seen as some motivation for their secondary.
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To be fair to Pickens, the Jaguars’ defense has allowed each of their last three opponents to throw for over 300 yards. However, in those games, that same defense has forced five interceptions.
That certainly sounds like much more than a “hope defense”. And Steelers fans are certainly hoping that Pickens doesn’t have to eat his words on Sunday against Jacksonville.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.