Pickens cleared for Christmas Day game vs. Chiefs

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens will return to the field Wednesday for the team's Christmas Day game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Pickens, who's missed the last three games with a hamstring injury, wasn't listed on the team's final injury report this week. The Steelers have posted a 1-2 mark with the third-year wideout sidelined over their past few games.

"I think it's self-explanatory," head coach Mike Tomlin said about Pickens' return this week, per team reporter Teresa Varley. "He is a splash playmaker. He's a one-on-one playmaker. Oftentimes he controls schematics, which creates one-on-ones for others or a light box regarding the run."

Calvin Austin III and Pat Freiermuth have seen an uptick in targets while Pickens worked his way back from injury. The Georgia product established himself as a reliable deep target for Russell Wilson since the latter was named the Steelers' starting quarterback in October.

Pickens has caught 55 passes for 850 yards and three touchdowns through 12 games this season. The Steelers star wideout returns in time to go up against a Chiefs defense allowing 6.8 yards per pass attempt, the fifth-lowest mark in the NFL.

The Steelers will be without cornerback Joey Porter Jr., who was ruled out with a knee injury he sustained in last weekend's game against the Baltimore Ravens. Cory Trice is expected to see more snaps with Porter sidelined this week. Backup quarterback Justin Fields is listed as questionable (abdominal) after being a limited participant in practice this week.

Pittsburgh enters the matchup with a slight lead over the Ravens in the battle for the AFC North title. Meanwhile, the Chiefs would clinch the top seed in the AFC playoff field with a victory over the Steelers on Christmas Day.