With Mitch Trubisky at QB, Diontae Johnson turns in a perfect 10 in Steelers' win over Panthers

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — When quarterback Mitch Trubisky was benched at halftime of Week 4, it happened after a locker room dustup with wide receiver Diontae Johnson.

Making his first start for the Pittsburgh since that game, Trubisky turned to none other than Johnson to be his most trusted receiver Sunday.

Trubisky targeted Johnson 10 times against the Carolina Panthers. Johnson responded with 10 receptions for 98 yards in the Steelers’ 24-16 victory at Bank of America Stadium.

“I have to give it to Mitch for trusting me, stepping up, leading us and helping us get the win,” Johnson said.

The 10 catches were the second most in a game for Johnson over his four NFL seasons, surpassed only by a 12-catch game against Jacksonville in 2020. The 98 yards were a season high. A week earlier, Johnson had six catches for 82 yards after Trubisky replaced an injured Kenny Pickett.

Against Carolina, Johnson emerged as Trubisky’s favorite receiver in the second half. Held to three catches for 16 yards before intermission, Johnson had five catches for 54 yards on the 21-play touchdown drive that gave the Steelers a 21-7 lead.

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Two of the catches on that 91-yard drive came on third down:a 12-yard grab on third-and-10 and an 8-yard reception on third-and-6. Then, after the Panthers had narrowed the lead to eight points in the fourth quarter, Johnson had a 19-yard catch on third-and-14 and a 9-yard reception on third-and-6. This set the stage for Chris Boswell’s 50-yard field goal with 1:04 left that restored a two-score margin for the Steelers.

“He was locked in all week,” Trubisky said. “We had a great gameplan, and he was getting open for me all day.”

That was particularly true on the final possession.

“We studied a lot of third downs this week, got the matchups. He was winning his one-on-ones. He won a short post and a hit. He did a great job trusting me on those timing throws and getting open.”

Johnson was the only Steelers receiver with more than two receptions. Rookie George Pickens had two, including a 38-yard grab down the left sideline when he reached above the defender to make the catch, then held the ball over his helmet as he went out of bounds. This helped set up the Steelers’ second touchdown.

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It was one of the few times Trubisky threw deep the entire game. And that was by design considering Trubisky threw three interceptions last week in a 16-14 loss to Baltimore.

“I was just really thinking about what they were giving us,” Trubisky said. “We had a couple of chances to be aggressive downfield — they gave us different looks — but I either checked down, or we had a different route pattern that I ended up hitting.

“More importantly, it was being efficient on third down.”

The Steelers converted 12 of 16 third-down chances, with Johnson receptions moving the chains five times.

“It was finishing those weighty moments, extending those plays,” Johnson said. “It was staying ahead of the sticks. We won the third-down matchups, and that’s why we came out on top today.”