After a four-reception, 195-yard game with two touchdowns, it would make sense if Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens saw more coverage and was blanketed with a safety over the top this week against the Seattle Seahawks. Talking to the media today, fellow wide receiver Diontae Johnson said that the team isn’t worried about whether or not Pickens gets more coverage, since everybody is capable of making plays out there,
“It don’t matter,” Johnson said via Steelers Live on Twitter. “I’m sure they gonna probably lean more to the side, but like I said, we just go out there and play. We don’t really worry about who’s leaning on what side or whatever, cause anybody can make plays out there, end of the day,” he added when asked about the possibility of the defense keying more on Pickens.
If Pickens does get more attention this week against a talented Seattle secondary, it will primarily be on Johnson to pick up the load. Johnson has been reliable all season, and Saturday’s win against the Bengals broke a three-game streak where he had scored in every game. He had the opportunity to get in on some of the action on Saturday after he cooked his man on a shock concept, but Rudolph missed him for what would have been a touchdown.
The slot fade that Mason Rudolph missed to Diontae Johnson via shock concept. 18 cooked him here. Look at that move back to the outside after gate is open. Mason admitted after game he should have hit this, obviously. #Steelers #NFL pic.twitter.com/NDEIccc2XB
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) December 27, 2023
Johnson finished the game with just two catches for 15 yards, and those are numbers he’s surely going to want to improve. Pickens and QB Mason Rudolph had a nice connection last week, and it’s one that ideally continues between the two. But getting Johnson involved is going to be important, as the Steelers won’t be able to rely on Rudolph and Pickens hooking up for 86-yard and 66-yard touchdowns like they did against Cincinnati.
Johnson has been reliable since he returned from his hamstring injury, and he’s such a good route-runner and a guy who always finds himself open. Steelers quarterbacks need to make more of an effort to get him the ball, and he hasn’t had more than four catches in a game since Week 9. Especially with Pickens likely to see more attention from the defense after the game he just had against the Bengals, looking Johnson’s way and getting him some work will be key for the Steelers to come out on top against Seattle.
