Tomlin: George Pickens' Career-Low Snaps Were Part of Steelers' Plan in Cowboys Loss

Lauren Leigh Bacho/ Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin explained the decision to decrease the role of wide receiver George Pickens during the team's 20-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

"We just wanted to minimize his reps in an effort to get more productivity," Tomlin told reporters, via Nick Farabaugh of Penn Live. "We're just trying to rep manage in terms of the totality of the big picture. He wasn't less of a focal point in terms of our intentions of what we wanted to do offensively."

Pickens was on the field for just 34 of a possible 58 snaps against Dallas, the third-highest mark among Steelers receivers.

"It's no different than we minimize some of the snaps of D-linemen like Cam Heyward," Tomlin said, per Farabaugh. "It's just about snap management. There's no underlying story, to be quite honest with you."