NFL Rumors: George Pickens punished by Steelers player for jogging on 'Perfect Ball' | News, results, highlights, statistics and rumors

Members of the Pittsburgh Steelers offense are upset with wide receiver George Pickens after he appeared to rush for a pass from quarterback Justin Fields against the Dallas Cowboys on Monday.

According to DK Pittsburgh's Dejan Kovacevic, a veteran offensive lineman said Fields' pass was “a perfect ball” and said it was placed exactly where Pickens would have been “if he had bothered to run.”

Kovacevic also noted that the perpetrator spewed a “series of insults” about the game.

Pickens had a forgetful start to the season, recording just 310 receiving yards and failing to reach the end zone in five games. He had his worst game of the year on Sunday, picking up just 26 yards on three receptions.

In his second season in the league a year ago, Pickens had 1,140 yards and five touchdowns, and many expected him to make the jump into year three. So far he hasn't shown much improvement.

Kovacevic noted the disparity in snaps among the Steelers' receivers on Sunday. Van Jefferson played 47 of 58 snaps, Calvin Austin played 44 of 58 snaps and Pickens played just 34 of 58 snaps.

Whether the lack of snaps was due to his struggles on plays like the one mentioned is unclear, but head coach Mike Tomlin indicated that was not the case.

“We just wanted to minimize his reps to increase productivity,” Tomlin said, according to Kovacevic. “We’re just trying to manage in terms of the bigger picture. He was no less a focal point in terms of what we wanted to do offensively, but we wanted to cut his reps a little bit in an effort to achieve a higher quality of play, more generally.”

However, Pittsburgh's reduction in Pickens' reps didn't result in a better quality of play on Sunday, so it may be time for a new game plan for the receiver.

After a 3-0 start, Sunday's game ended in back-to-back defeats – both by three points. The Steelers will face the Las Vegas Raiders this week where they will look to get more production from Pickens.