Pittsburgh Steelers star wide receiver George Pickens was unexpectedly kept out of Sunday’s win against the Cleveland Browns with a hamstring injury, but the true severity did not come out until afterwards.

Tomlin said Pickens is doubtful for the Week 15 Battle of Pennsylvania against the Eagles and it’s possible he could more time than that as the Steelers take it slow with their No. 1 wide receiver.

The prognosis usually ranges from two to four weeks out, but Mike Williams and the other receivers will have to step up no matter how long Pickens is out.

The next two weeks include a difficult matchup with Philadelphia and a classic AFC North matchup with the Baltimore Ravens that could decide who takes home the division title, which of course comes with a home game in the playoffs.

As a result, Tomlin has been hounded with questions about the wide receivers room now that the man who produces more receptions and yards than the rest of the wide receivers combined is injured.

“I view it as only a matter of time before [Mike Williams’] presence gets felt in a more consistent way in-stadium,” Tomlin said. “Practice has been like that for a number of weeks, and usually when you see people making plays in practice, it’s a precursor to them making plays in-stadium.”

Tomlin has always been a coach who demands players not loaf in practice, so it’s no wonder he is used to guys who succeed in that area succeeding in-game, where players are not letting their peers get wins for free.

It sounds as though Williams, the former two-time 1,000-yard wide receiver with the Chargers back in San Diego, is looking like his old self in practice.

Steelers Nation has been itching to see more of him ever since the wideout caught a 32-yard game-winning touchdown against the Washington Commanders in his debut with the team in Week 10.

He went radio silent after that, with his low snap count to blame. But in the most recent game against Cleveland, Williams hauled in three passes for 36 yards with Pickens out.

Now, with harder tests ahead than the 3-10 Browns, the frontrunner for the 2024 Coach of the Year award expects even more from the veteran.

“With George available or not, I expect the overall trajectory of [Williams’] performance and inclusion in performance to be on the incline,” he concluded.

Pittsburgh needs just one more win to clinch a playoff spot, while beating Baltimore and winning one other would win the division.

If Mike Williams can be an integral part of that, he will have been well worth sending a fifth-round pick to the New York Jets.