Diontae Johnson Fit in One Final Embarrassing Lowlight to the Steelers Season

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens met in Week 18 with the Steelers’ NFL playoff chances still alive. The Steelers went out and won the game, 17-10, thanks in large part to a 71-yard touchdown pass from Mason Rudolph to Diontae Johnson that gave Pittsburgh a lead they would never relinquish.

Johnson finished with four catches for 89 yards and that long catch and run gave him his fifth touchdown of the season. He’s a long way from his Pro Bowl season back in 2021 and it showed this year as Johnson was often caught not giving an F on the field during the worst season of his professional career. Despite the stats and win, he managed to get one more of those today.

The Steelers punted six times on Saturday. Late in the first quarter Steelers punter Pressley Harvin booted one that was downed on the seven. Except the Steelers were called for 12 men on the field and he had to kick again. The 12th man was Johnson, who was unable to jog off the field in time.

Rather than pin the Ravens inside the 10, Harvin punted his second attempt out of bounds at the 35, essentially making Johnson’s inability to hustle a 28-yard penalty. Melvin Gordon fumbled three plays later so Johnson was saved, but if the Steelers end up making the playoffs and they review film this week

The good news is Melvin Gordon fumbled three plays later so it didn’t cost the Steelers a playoff spot. If the Steelers do make the playoffs, it will be fun to see what kind of highlight Johnson cooks up. Clearly, anything is possible.