Diontae Johnson went 1.5 seasons without a touchdown. It’s probably one of the most dejecting things to happen in a wide receiver’s career. The Pittsburgh Steelers receiver was criticized up and down, far more than George Pickens has. He didn’t overreact — he supported his teammates who were finding success.
On Thursday night, Johnson caught the game-winning touchdown in the Tennessee Titans brawl, marking his first touchdown grab since Week 17 of the 2021 season (from Ben Roethlisberger, mind you) — a gap of 665 days and 21 games between scores.
After the score, video showed Pickens walking away as Johnson, Allen Robinson and Kenny Pickett celebrated the streak snap. He was later seen slouched on the bench with a towel over his head as Johnson stood before him on the sideline.
Pickens enjoyed career games in Johnson’s absence: Three 100+ yard outings. Since Johnson’s return from injured reserve two games ago, his numbers are 21 yards and a touchdown. His frustrations are understandable, but there are other ways to vent — behind closed doors and in adult conversations with teammates.
There’s no need to be jealous of Johnson’s success. That’s for PeeWee football. He’s 22 now and playing at the highest level of the sport.
Pickens draws a lot of attention from the opponent’s defense, allowing Johnson more freedom to do his thing. He should take pride in that. And maybe, just maybe, support your brothers when good things happen.
Kenny Pickett talked about how George Pickens had a big impact on the game by drawing the double teams he did to open up other parts of the offense even though he only had 2 catches for -1 yards.#Steelers: pic.twitter.com/MzgdXfdnBN
— Christopher Carter (@CarterCritiques) November 3, 2023
