Despite beating the Cincinnati Bengals to move to 7-4 on Sunday, one story that’s followed the Pittsburgh Steelers as they prepare for the Arizona Cardinals has been the effort, or lack thereof, of WR Diontae Johnson on Jaylen Warren’s first-half fumble. Johnson, who had just missed a touchdown that probably should’ve counted, didn’t engage with his assignment and walked off the field as Warren fumbled. He made no effort to get to the ball or bring down Bengals DB DJ Turner II, running downfield with the ball.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, players and coaches talked to Johnson about the play, and he was “very accountable” for the mistake. Fowler said that the Steelers and Johnson are on good terms.
“Steelers teammates and coaches talked with receiver Diontae Johnson this week about his lack of effort following Jaylen Warren’s fumble in Sunday’s win over Cincinnati. A source said Johnson was very accountable to the team about his mistake. He was frustrated by a near-touchdown on the previous play and essentially zoned out. The Steelers believe they are in a good place with Johnson moving forward,” Fowler wrote in his Week 13 notes column for ESPN.
It’s good that Johnson took accountability, but he has to do a better job of not letting the previous play or plays affect his mindset. His catch should’ve been a touchdown; it was ruled incomplete, and the Steelers didn’t challenge. Johnson has to move on to the next play to then figure out how to help his team score and eventually win. Living in the past doesn’t do any good for anybody.
Hopefully, it’s a learning moment for Johnson, but it’s not one he should need in his fifth year in the league. He has to find a way to channel his frustration so it doesn’t affect his play on the field. He’s Pittsburgh’s No. 1 receiver, and he’s way too good to have questions about attitude and effort follow him around.
While his effort and attitude were affected in the moment, at least it wasn’t something that plagued him throughout the game. Johnson finished the game with four catches for 50 yards, including a key 3rd-and-9 grab that went a long way toward helping the Steelers win. The Steelers need Johnson to be productive for their offense to continue to be productive and hit another gear. That’s going to involve him getting his head right and focusing on the moment at hand.
It’s good that coaches and teammates talked to Johnson. Now all parties can move on and focus on football. Obviously, if another mental error or lack of effort comes up, the team and player might not be on good terms anymore, but for now, everyone inside the building can block out the noise and focus on winning football games.
