Browns' Newsome: Pickens 'cares more so about himself' than Steelers

Cleveland Browns cornerback Greg Newsome criticized Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens before their teams face off again Sunday.

"I'm all about the team. Obviously, (Pickens) is a guy that cares more so about himself, and you can see that in the penalties he causes," Newsome told reporters Friday, including ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi. "For me, my job is to try to do whatever I can to help the team win, so there's never going to be no one-on-one battle for me."

He added, "He does that type of stuff all the time. There'll never be a man that could ever fuel me in any type of way."

When reporters asked Pickens if he had anything to say to Newsome before Sunday's game, Pickens said he didn't "even know who that is," via ESPN's Brooke Pryor.

Newsome and Pickens exchanged blows after Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson attempted a Hail Mary in the dying seconds of their previous matchup on Nov. 21. The players shoved each other through the end zone and out of bounds. Newsome had grabbed Pickens by the helmet, and the altercation continued after the play was blown dead.

The Browns won the game 24-19, and neither player was penalized or fined for the incident.

Newsome seemingly called Pickens a "fake tough guy" on X postgame, while Pickens said he didn't think the Browns "are a good team at all" despite Cleveland winning the matchup.

Pickens has developed a penchant for unsportsmanlike penalties this year. He was fined $10,230 earlier this season for grabbing Jourdan Lewis' facemask in the final seconds of Pittsburgh's loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Bengals defensive back Mike Hilton said that getting under Pickens' skin was a strategy employed by Cincinnati in last week's game, according to ESPN's Kimberley A. Martin.

"Everybody sees it on film," Hilton said Sunday. "If he's not getting the ball or DBs are being physical with him, he gets in his own head."

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin also said Sunday that Pickens needed to "grow up in a hurry" after costing the team two penalties for his behavior against the Bengals.

Pickens was limited at Friday's practice with a hamstring injury and is questionable to play Sunday. The Steelers and Browns will meet again for a rematch at 1 p.m. ET.