After Sunday’s 30-7 loss at home to the 49ers, the Steelers need to regroup for Week 2. In the preseason, Kenny Pickett looked dominant for Pittsburgh. However, that did not translate over into Week 1. The second-year QB had 232 passing yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. 

To make matters worse, the Steelers lost one of their best WRs Diontae Johnson. The 27-year-old has an injured hamstring and will reportedly miss a few weeks. While that hurts the offense as a whole, it gives a chance for George Pickens to be the true WR1 for the Steelers in Week 2. They have a matchup on MNF vs. the Browns.

Kenny Pickett and George Pickens need to have a better connection in Week 2 if they want to win

Imagine if George Pickens caught this…

(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/kadBzt3Mdg

— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) September 10, 2023

In Week 1, the Steelers had a tough matchup vs. one of the best defenses in the NFL. The 49ers only allowed Pittsburgh to score one touchdown. Kenny Pickett had 232 yards passing and the Steelers rushing attack only managed to have 41 yards the entire game. With Diontae Johnson out for the next few weeks, Pickett needs to look to reestablish his connection with Pickens.

Against the 49ers, Pickens was targeted seven times and had five catches for 36 yards. His longest catch of the day was only nine yards vs. a tough 49ers defense. Pickett and Pickens almost connected for an insane TD, but the young WR was not able to get both feet in bounds. You can see in the clip above just how close he was to scoring.

With Diontae Johnson out, can George Pickens take on a major with the Steelers

Discussing with ⁦@DanielDopp⁩ & ⁦@MikeClayNFL⁩ pic.twitter.com/bSEzBoONUK

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 14, 2023

As rookies in 2022, Pickett and Pickens had an elite connection. Both players were not initially starters and they got a lot of reps together with the second team. Their connection was not as strong in Week 1 of 2023. That could have been due to the fact that the 49ers defense was wreaking havoc. They sacked Kenny Pickett five times last Sunday. The Steelers will face their division rivals on MNF in Week 2 at home vs. the Browns.