Steelers' Diontae Johnson Defends His Effortless Lazy Play That Cost The Steelers Offense

The Pittsburgh Steelers secured a much needed victory in Week 12 against their divisional rival, the Cincinnati Bengals. The win brought the Steelers record to 7-4 in 2023 and tightens the race in the AFC North. The final score was 16-10, however the Steelers offense could have scored more points had it not been for a fumble by Jaylen Warren deep in Cincinnati territory early in the game. The Bengals recovered the fumble, and receiver, Diontae Johnson is being scrutinized for his obvious lack of effort on the play. 

Steelers' Johnson Defends His Lack Of Effort

The Steelers had the ball on the Bengals' 15-yard line when Warren fumbled on a run play. The ball rolled right past Johnson as he stood still and made no effort to recover it. To make matters worse, he didn't even make an attempt to chase down the defender who recovered the ball and returned it for a decent gain. As soon as the play occurred, Johnson was ridiculed all over social media by various personalities, including former players. 

Many fans wondered if Johnson had just not seen the ball, and thought that the play was over despite there being no whistle blown. Even before the fumble occurred, it didn't look like Johnson was even trying to block the Bengals defensive back that was lined up across from him. Johnson was asked about this play specifically after the game in the locker room. 

"Nah, I was just, I didn't see it. Was just doing what I do out there trying to block or whatever it is."

Johnson took no responsibility for the play, which likely cost the Steelers points. The ball bounced right in front of him before it was scooped up by the Bengals. He definitely could have jumped on the ball to retain possession for the Steelers on a drive where they should have at least gotten a field goal. Even once the ball was recovered by Cincinnati, Johnson made no effort to make a play and tackle the ball carrier. 

Johnson's excuse for not seeing the ball was because he was blocking on the play; however, it didn't even look like he was putting much effort into that. He clearly wasn't trying to run the defender off of the line of scrimmage, and he barely put his hands on the defensive back to block him. 

Johnson has shown some frustration over the last few weeks, and there is a chance he was frustrated on this play and mentally checked out due to the fact he dropped what would have been a touchdown on the play before. The ball he dropped was ruled an incompletion on the field because he didn't control the ball all the way to the ground. Had the Steelers thrown the challenge flag, there was a good chance they would have been rewarded with a touchdown since he took three steps in bounds in the back of the end zone before losing control of the ball. This could have sparked some frustration for Johnson and caused him not to give full effort on the next play. 

Aside from this sequence of plays, Johnson had a very nice game and came up with many timely catches. He finished the day with four receptions for 50 yards, including one beautiful reception on a 39 yard pass from second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett. The offense as a whole looked much improved now that they have moved on from Matt Canada, and they had their first 400 yard game since the 2020 NFL season. 

Now that it seems the offense has taken a much-needed step forward, this should limit the frustrations from Johnson and other players. Pickett did a nice job spreading the ball around in the victory, and the offense was firing on all cylinders. Johnson has a chance to make up for his flawed effort early in the Week 12 contest when the Steelers take on the Arizona Cardinals in Week 13 back home in Pittsburgh.

What do you think of Johnson's efforts early on in the game against the Bengals? Let us know in the comments below!

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