The Pittsburgh Steelers found another way to win late on Thursday when Kenny Pickett led a fourth quarter game-winning drive against the Tennessee Titans. The 20-16 win wasn't pretty the entire way through, but someway, somehow, the second-year quarterback was able to help the offense march down the field when it mattered most. The 11-play, 92-yard drive was one of the team's best of the entire 2023 season. It gave fans throwback memories of what the legendary Ben Roethlisberger did for 18 seasons in the Steel City. The much-needed win propelled the team to 5-3 on the year.
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Steelers then-rookie quarterback, Kenny Pickett (#8) makes a throw during 2022 training camp at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
Roethlisberger has a podcast that many fans have come to enjoy over the last year and a half. On Thursday, he and his co-host, Spencer Te'o, went on a live stream during the second half of the team's big win. One of the more fun moments of the broadcast was late in the fourth quarter when Pickett led the game-winning drive. The quarterback found Diontae Johnson in the end zone with a little over four minutes to play. It was Johnson's first touchdown since 2021, when Roethlisberger was still at the helm.
Roethlisberger and Te'o watched intently as Pittsburgh methodically drove down the field and the genuine enthusiasm from the future Hall of Fame quarterback was awesome to watch.
"Diontae got his first touchdown from Kenny," Roethlisberger exclaimed as he threw his hands up in the air. "Tae, congratulations. Tae, it's been like a year and a half since he caught a touchdown. Now they're best friends. Now he's gonna catch like a million of them."
It was a welcomed sight for Steelers fans and Johnson returning from a hamstring injury has opened up the offense much more for Pickett. He has 20 catches for 254 yards and a score since returning in Week 7.
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Pittsburgh Steelers receiver, Diontae Johnson (#18) stands with his hands on his hips during a 2022 training camp practice at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
It has been a long time coming for Johnson to find the end zone. It was a frustrating 2022 season for the receiver as he only had 882 yards through the air, but he could find a way to beat that number in 2023 despite already missing four games. He needs to continue to step up in a big way if the offense wants to make strides forward. He's probably the offensive MVP since the Week 6 bye.
Even though Johnson has had success in recent weeks, the frustrations continue for his counterpart, George Pickens. The pass catcher has just three catches for 21 yards in the last two games. The positive is that he's taking attention off of Johnson, but the negative is that his ego could end up becoming a problem in the locker room if he is not targeted more going forward.
The Steelers have two extremely talented wide receivers. Johnson is an elite route-runner while Pickens is a freak of nature who can catch anything thrown his way. The duo has the opportunity to be one of the league's best tandems, but Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada needs to find the happy medium between getting both of them the ball throughout games. Them being at the top of their games is a matchup nightmare for any defense.
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Steelers wide receiver George Pickens lined up against Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr during a 2022 regular season contest at Acrisure Stadium.
Steelers Have A Third Weapon At Wide Receiver Not Being Utilized Enough
The scary part for opposing teams is that Calvin Austin III has not been too involved, especially since Johnson returned from his hamstring ailment. Spreading the ball around on offense combined with the rushing attack that was displayed on Thursday Night Football could actually lead to a formidable group that is capable of making a postseason run. Let's hope Roethlisberger is right and Johnson continues to find the end zone as the season progresses.
How happy were you when Johnson was finally able to catch a touchdown from Pickett? Let us know in the comments below!
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