Mike Tomlin unsure if Sauce Gardner will follow George Pickens: 'Unpredictable if they fit together'

It's always fun to pick the most impactful matchups to watch before every game, and for the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New York Jets on Sunday Night Football, WR George Pickens vs. CB Sauce Gardner is one of the games to keep an eye on should keep.

Pickens sees himself as a top five receiver, while Gardner is definitely one of the best young cornerbacks in the league. They were both drafted in 2022. Gardner was the Jets' fourth draft pick, while Pickens was the Steelers' No. 52 pick in the second round.

We'll definitely see this matchup at some point on Sunday, but Mike Tomlin isn't sure they'll make it as Gardner follows Pickens in coverage. Tomlin was asked if Pickens was excited about this match.

“I'm sure he is. Whether he gets it or not remains to be seen,” Tomlin said on The Mike Tomlin Show with Bob Pompeani via the team website. “They’re kind of unpredictable as to whether they fit together. They got another top corner in DJ Reed, who is a really good player himself. And often they play it right and left, regardless of who the receiver is. So if this duel happens, we will of course be excited. But we have no control over it. They do, and they have already proven that sometimes they do it and sometimes they don’t.”

One thing that could obviously impact the decision is the fact that Reed didn't practice all week and was listed as questionable with a groin injury. If he's unable to accept the suit, I'd imagine they'll actually just shadow Pickens with Gardner.

Maybe it's the difficulty of the matchups, but Reed has actually outperformed Gardner this season. According to Pro Football Focus, Gardner has been one of the bottom ten corners in the league for six weeks. He's just two spots above Beanie Bishop Jr. on the adjusted passer rating list when targeted. They portrayed him as allowing 10 receptions on 12 targets for 136 yards and a touchdown for an adjusted passer rating allowed of 141.7. In comparison, Reed is the 10th best corner on this list, with 11 receptions allowed on 18 targets for 112 yards and zero touchdowns. His adjusted allowed rating is 78.9.

This probably explains why they often play against each other instead of against each other, and shows how notable it could be if they were missing Reed. Normally a player not practicing at all would be considered doubtful or out. So the fact that he is listed as questionable tells me that he is more likely to play and they gave him as much time as possible to rest his groin injury.

Russell Wilson is starting for the first time this season. There are things the Steelers gain and lose by moving from Justin Fields to Wilson, but the intermediate and deep passing game is clearly in Wilson's favor. Even at 35, his touch placement is among the best in the league. If Reed is missing, it could have big consequences for Wilson.