one would expect the pickle fork design will have been beefed up to cope with these additional stresses.
Beefed up before the current NG problems were found, perhaps expecting the NGs were adequate and would never likely have a cracking problem in that area?
I understand the PFs were supposed to be a life of airframe part of the structure. Beefed up enough? Time will tell.
It may pose some questions in future for the Max, but right now it is the least of their concerns