The Pittsburgh Steelers are set to host the Baltimore Ravens this coming week in the first of two contests this season, and that means that they will see old friend Diontae Johnson, but head coach Mike Tomlin was honest in saying that he has not thought about his former wide receiver's potential role in the matchup.
“To be honest with you I hadn't thought a lot about it,” Mike Tomlin said, via 93.7 The Fan. “He's not on a lot of their video and so you know at this stage of the week I don't know that I've weighed you know what he might mean to the matchup. They've got more significant pieces with larger roles that occupy my attention at this part of the week.”
The Steelers traded Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers this offseason. As the Panthers fell out of contention, they traded Johnson to the Ravens ahead of the NFL Trade Deadline. He has not been involved much in the offensive game plans to this point, so it is understandable that Tomlin made that comment. However, the Ravens likely will try to work him into the offense more, given that they gave up draft capital to acquire him.
Still, players like Derrick Henry, Zay Flowers and the dual threat that is Lamar Jackson present the biggest threat for the Ravens on offense. They are all dangerous weapons that Tomlin is understandably thinking about for the most part.
Steelers look for statement win over Ravens
The Steelers are having a great season, surprising most fans with a 7-2 record overall. The game against the Ravens is for first place, as Baltimore is 7-3. Pittsburgh has largely beaten the teams it is supposed to beat, with close losses coming against the Indianapolis Colts and Dallas Cowboys. The offense has hit another level with Russell Wilson taking over for Justin Fields. The win over the Washington Commanders this past week was impressive, but beating a Super Bowl contender in the Ravens would make a statement that the Steelers could do some damage in the AFC.
A win would give the Steelers a 1.5-game cushion atop the AFC North. It would set them up with a chance to secure the division title with significant matchups against AFC playoff hopefuls down the stretch. Outside of the two games against the Ravens down the stretch, the Steelers will play big games against the Cincinnati Bengals, Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs. Those games will give an idea of where the Steelers sit in the pecking order. The first chance for a statement comes this Sunday against the Ravens.
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