Diontae Johnson set quite a lowly NFL record during the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Week 18 home game against the Cleveland Browns.
Johnson broke former Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back James Wilder's record (85 catches, zero receiving TDs in 1984) for the most catches in a season without a receiving touchdown. The fourth-year wideout finished his campaign with 86 receptions, and he failed to haul in a single touchdown catch.
During the first quarter of the divisional contest, Johnson came close to snapping his receiving touchdowns drought, but he was eventually brought down just short of the end zone.
Diontae Johnson was this close to scoring his first touchdown of the season 😅
He has 139 targets 🤯 pic.twitter.com/se6t3jhDz5
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) January 8, 2023
In the big picture, Johnson is already looking ahead to the 2023 campaign and the possibility of finally getting back on the stat sheet with a touchdown catch.
“Maybe next year might be my year to get in the end zone, 10-plus or whatever,” Johnson said after the Steelers’ 28-14 win over Cleveland.
“It is what it is.”
Overall, Johnson logged just six receptions for 38 receiving yards in the red zone this year.
Due to the Miami Dolphins’ home victory over the New York Jets on Sunday, the Steelers will not feature in this season’s NFL playoffs. At the least, Pittsburgh managed to finish its regular season schedule on a promising note with a four-game winning streak.