By: Jonathan Clark
SteelerNation.com
“We need to stop talking and just go out there and make plays,” said WR Diontae Johnson following the Pittsburgh Steelers 28-24 comeback win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. It is a simple concept, but one that has hit the Steelers by storm this past week. Off-field distractions are never something a team wants surrounding them because with that comes attention, allowing fewer teams to “fly under the radar” like most prefer to do. The slightest of things can become distractions for a football team as a whole. A prime example is all of the media attention that has followed WR JuJu Smith-Schuster after he has been posting videos online of him dancing on opponents' logos before games. While we, as fans, only see it as a play having some fun, opponents use little things like this to grab some extra motivation for game day.
Whether or not the distraction has to do with on field activities or not, the player involved still has to find a way to go out on gameday and put those negative distractions in the back of their head and go prove themselves on Sundays. This holds more true to second year WR, Diontae Johnson than most.
The past month of football for Johnson has not been good. After posting back to back 100-yard games against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 10, then against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 11, Johnson's production fell off dramatically, and not just in that stats department. In the three weeks following, he racked up a total of 157 yards in 3 games, scoring only one solo touchdown against the Washington Football Team. The stats always come for playmakers and that is exactly what Johnson is. The problem has been actually getting the ball into his hands, but not for a lack of trying.
Throughout the NFL this 2020 season, the Steelers are tied with the Dallas Cowboys in leading all of the NFL in total dropped passes with 27. Johnson is solely responsible for 9 of those -- a stat that also leads the NFL. It’s apparent that dropped passes have been an issue for him this season. It is one thing when a player hears the negative talk surrounding them by not just the passionate Steeler fan base, but the NFL media themselves. And when your head coach makes a public comment, changes need to be made.
I give Johnson a lot of credit. Ever since the backlash came out about his dropped passes and inability to look the ball in first before making a football move, we have seen him out there hours before game time, working on his hand-eye coordination and making sure to look passes in before making a move. And we have to believe the same is going on during practice because his individual performances have stepped up.
In the past two games, Johnson has been targeted 27 times (14 & 13 in each game). He has caught 8 receptions total in both games and has a touchdown to show for it as well. QB Ben Roethlisberger has not seemed to have lost any confidence in his standout WR and keeps throwing the ball his way -- and Johnson has been making the most of it. This past week's game against the Colts was a prime example.
After being down 24-7 with the 3rd quarter winding down, the Steelers offense got the ball back with around 4 minutes left in the 3rd quarter. Needing a score to keep the game close, Roethlisberger looked Johnson's way and connected with him on a 39-yard touchdown play in which Johnson had to dive and make an adjustment mid air to secure the catch. That play itself changed momentum for the whole game, giving Big Ben some much needed confidence going into the 4th quarter and giving the Steelers a chance to win the AFC North. Which is exactly what they accomplished.
Sometimes, all you need is one big play in one big key situation in a ball game in order to change your confidence level throughout the rest of the season. I know Johnson has had his struggles this year, but this team would not be where they are at without his production throughout this season, and he is a player that is going to be needed for this team in order to make a big playoff push.
How confident are you in Diontae Johnson? Comment Below!
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