Kenny Pickett, Diontae Johnson Downplay George Pickens’ Sideline Outburst

ATLANTA — George Pickens made it known to his teammates and coaches that he was not happy. The Steelers targeted Pickens only twice in their 19-16 victory over Atlanta, and he ended the day with just one catch for two yards. It boiled over after a near Diontae Johnson fumble where Pickens appeared to be more frustrated than ever after being in single coverage and not getting the look he wanted.

Welp, George Pickens clearly not happy after that play and in general today. “Throw me the ball, man. Throw me the f*cking ball.” pic.twitter.com/a6pFrJiQQG

— Justin Guerriero (@GuerrieroTRIB) December 4, 2022

“Throw me the ball, man. Throw me the f***ing ball,” Pickens said.

Johnson, who has been frustrated many times in his NFL career, knows where Pickens needs to look going forward. He understands that there will be games whereas, for a receiver, there will be an off-day. More importantly, Johnson is the main leader of the wide receiver room. So, Johnson is hoping that Pickens understands what is coming next, and that his frustration is okay, but that there will be moments like this in his career.

“That’s pretty much it,” Johnson said. “You know, you can get frustrated when the numbers aren’t there, but you have to try to not let it get to you. It can’t take you out of the game.”

As for the quarterback looking his way, Kenny Pickett always tries to get the ball to his best playmakers. That includes George Pickens. Pickett will go forward trying to make a conscious attempt to get Pickens the football. Without Pickens involved in the gameplan, the Steelers’ offense can often fail to finish drives, and the asset of Pickens’ combat catch ability and height makes him a necessary weapon to utilize.

“He’s a competitor man, of course,” Pickett said. “You know, we want to get the ball to George. We’ll continue to work that with Diontae, George, Pat. We’ve got weapons everywhere. Sometimes, that’s just how it goes. Somedays it can be George’s, or Diontae’s, or Pat’s. That’s just how it works with this offense because the defense dictates what we do and where the ball goes. Today, it was spread around really well. But obviously, we want to get the ball in 14’s hands.”

Pickens declined to talk after the game. Up to this point, he had been one of his favorite targets of Pickett. That should likely come around next week when the Steelers stay home to face the Baltimore Ravens. Frustration warranted or not, Pickens is still one of the more talented players on the team.

Alan Saunders contributed reporting from Atlanta.