While the Pittsburgh Steelers picked up a 16-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 12, one play that’s being talked about more than any is Diontae Johnson’s lack of effort on a Jaylen Warren fumble in the first half. With the Steelers driving, Warren fumbled on third down and Johnson, who walked off the ball and didn’t even look at the defender in front of him, had turned away and missed the ball popping out in front of him, allowing DJ Turner II to recover and get a nice return.
On their Nightcap show, former NFL players Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson ripped into Johnson for his lack of effort on the play, especially after his comments throughout last week.
“Diontae Johnson. Bro, you drop a touchdown, and then you walk off the ball, and the ball is fumbled, and you don’t do nothing. Man, hell no. Walking off the ball,” Sharpe said, adding that if Rod Smith or Ed McCaffrey did that during his playing days, their offensive line coach would’ve run out on the field and put a “cord” around their neck.
“It’s a bad look because you complaining about the ball, you dropped the touchdown on the drive before! And then you walk off the ball, ok, walking off the ball is bad enough, but then the ball popped out, and you don’t even chase.”
While the touchdown drop happened one play prior and not on the drive before, Sharpe has a point. Johnson was clearly still in his own head that the touchdown wasn’t a touchdown, and it affected his effort and attitude.
Chad Johnson said that receivers normally walk off the ball on 3rd and short, but then they’ll engage with the defensive back, something Johnson didn’t do. He also noted Johnson never even looked at the ball to see the fumble.
“I can’t even take up for him,” Johnson said, adding that Johnson “was a little disengaged.”
Sharpe thinks Johnson should be trying to his impress his new offensive coordinator in Eddie Faulkner and play caller in Mike Sullivan by showing effort so they try to get him the ball. Instead, the lack of effort he showed was a problem.
If Johnson hadn’t been so vocal about miscommunication and deflecting blame all week, this play wouldn’t have been as much of an issue. But because of how he handled the issues last week, so much to the point where he reportedly got into it with various offensive coaches and S Minkah Fitzpatrick and had to be separated from them, his clear lack of effort and attention on the play is a really bad look.
It’s ok to be frustrated about the touchdown that wasn’t the play prior. NFL official Gene Steratore said he thought it should’ve been ruled a touchdown, and that Pittsburgh should’ve challenged the call.
While that didn’t happen, Johnson letting the frustration affect his play and the Steelers’ chances of winning just cannot happen.
At the end of the day, it was just one play and the Steelers won. But it’s not something that can continue from Johnson, who needs to be a leader in the wide receiver room and not a problem because something doesn’t go his way. Hopefully, he can move on, and it just becomes a non-issue, and I think it will. But there’s no doubt that it’s a bad look and something that just can’t continue going forward.
Watch the full Nightcap show below:
