Although week three of the NFL has only just begun, rookie George Pickens may have already made the best catch of the season for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The young wide receiver stunned fans on Thursday night as he caught the ball at full stretch from what seemed like an impossible angle, with his body almost horizontal with the ground while doing so. Pickens also made the catch with one hand, and his acrobatics helped the Steelers score their first touchdown of the night.
The catch has drawn comparisons to Odell Beckham Jr, with the current LA Rams star attributed with one of the greatest catches of all-time while he was a rookie at the New York Giants. And Beckham Jr even gave his instant reaction to Pickens' grab on Twitter, as he said: "This catch is filthy".
Pickens was one of the Steelers' standout stars in pre season, but has been frustrated since the NFL got back underway until now. Pickens had only made two catches in his opening two games as Mitchell Trubisky struggled to find him out wide.
The rookie even said in the build-up to their clash against the Browns that he feels like he is 'always open for a catch' even if defenders can catch up to him. And after his stunning catch on Thursday night, you can't argue with his theory.
"I just say that because I'm a big guy that runs in the low 4.4s," Pickens said, via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "I always have a step on somebody and my step is naturally longer than the other person, and I'm actually fast.
"I'm always (going to) have a step and always feel like, 99 percent of the time, I'm open even though the ball gets there in the air and (the defender) gets time to catch back up. But I'm open as soon as I get off the line."
Has George Pickens already made catch of the season? Let us know in the comments section.
His catch ultimately led to Najee Harris scoring the Steelers' opening touchdown, although Pickens couldn't inspire victory as the Browns won 29-17 at the FirstEnergy Stadium. It was the tale of the receivers in a game that so many anticipated the running game to be strong, as Amari Cooper and David Njoku flexed their muscles for the Browns.
Diontae Johnson was also ever-reliable for the Steelers, but the Browns defence ensured that they didn't concede a receiving touchdown all night. But that wasn't to say that they kept them out without repercussions, as Anthony Walker Jr was carted off the field.
Walker took a hit to the face from Steelers tackle Chukwuma Okorafor and fell awkwardly to the ground. It was then, that Okorafor then fell onto the back of Walker, just as guard James Daniels accidentally stepped on Walker's legs.
It has since been announced that he has gone for x-rays on his knee and is set to undergo an MRI scan on Friday. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Taven Bryan also left the field on Thursday night, with the Browns sweating their fitness.
