Things went from bad to worse in the second half of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Christmas game against the Kansas City Chiefs, especially on offense.

Trying to get back into a 29-10 game, the Steelers offense began to run the field. But on the Kansas City side of the field, self-inflicted mistakes by the Steelers offense hindered what appeared to be a strong attack, leading to third-year wide receiver George Pickens making a mistake – and rightly so.

After a second-and-10 completion from QB Russell Wilson to Pickens, who moved the chains for an 18-yard gain, it looked like the Steelers would put points on the board. But an offensive offside flag — yes, really — at the tight end. Connor Heyward thwarted the completion for Pickens, which frustrated the young receiver.

On the next play, Wilson had a pass attempt to Pickens that was hit at the line of scrimmage where Pickens was open. To cap off the ugly sequence, Pickens and Wilson were called for a false start on a 4th-and-15 after rookie center Zach Frazier failed to snap the football.

That flag led to Pickens ripping off his helmet and screaming in frustration on the Steelers sideline. That was a good summary of the day and the feeling that the Steelers fans in attendance must have felt.

Here’s the full sequence of Pickens’ frustrations. Again, the performance of the Steelers offense on Christmas Day is largely justified.

Then, on the next series, Pickens could be heard on the hot mics expressing his frustration after failing to make a one-handed reception along the Steelers’ sideline, although it was unclear what he said.

After missing the last three games with a hamstring injury, Pickens was eager to get back on the field to win the Black and Gold championship. He made a big play early in the game, hauling in a 41-yard pass from Wilson to jump-start the Steelers’ offense. But after that, Pickens was limited to just two catches for nine yards, had a play thrown away too early when he was clearly still fighting forward and trying to break free, and couldn’t really perform after that.

Before he was injured early in Week 14 against the Cleveland Browns, Pickens was a major weapon for the Steelers. He averaged 15.5 yards per reception and drew quite a bit of attention. That was the case again on Christmas Day against the Chiefs.

However, as the team struggled on offense and made one mistake after another, Pickens let his emotions get the best of him, ripping off his helmet twice to say something to the Steelers’ sideline.