The Pittsburgh Steelers have been recently haunted by their failure to catch the ball after accounting for seven dropped passes in their Week 13 encounter against the Washington Football Team. Those missed opportunities turned to be crucial as the Steelers' previous immaculate record was tainted with their first of the season.
Among all their weapons, wide receiver Diontae Johnson had the most issues catching the ball and his woes emerged once again in their Week 14 matchup against the Buffalo Bills. The University of Toledo product then headed to the bench after tallying two drops on the team's first two possessions of the game.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin then gave Johnson another chance to redeem himself in the second half and went on to generate 40 yards on three catches despite participating in limited snaps.
The tactician then spoke on how his receiver handled the sudden benching:
“I thought he responded appropriately,” Tomlin said, via Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “He didn’t pout. He waited for his next opportunity and, when his next opportunity came, he was productive.”
It wasn't just Johnson. The team's other receivers failed to get their groove going during the game as well. JuJu Smith-Schuster was only limited to 55 yards on six catches but managed to score a touchdown while Chase Claypool continued to see less snaps after tallying a measly 15 yard-output on three touches.
After succumbing to a 26-15 loss against the Bills, the Steelers have now dropped their second consecutive game and slid to an 11-2 record. They will have a chance to get back to their winning ways in a Week 15 tilt against the struggling Cincinnati Bengals.
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