It took almost two years, but Diontae Johnson found the end zone once again on Thursday, hauling in a fourth-quarter score to win the game for his Pittsburgh Steelers in dramatic fashion.
The Steelers defeated the Tennessee Titans, 20-16, on Thursday night by way of the late-game touchdown catch by Johnson, marking the wide receiver's first TD grab since Week 17 of the 2021 season, a gap of 668 days and 21 games between scores.
Trailing, 16-13, with nine minutes left in the game, Pittsburgh embarked upon an 11-play, 92-yard drive that started at its 8-yard line and culminated in a 3-yard reception for Johnson, with Kenny Pickett finding his veteran wideout for the score, which was also the first TD connection for the pair since Pickett was drafted.
After waiting so long to secure that elusive touchdown, it clearly was a relief for Johnson to finally get over the hurdle.
"Oh yeah, I mean [668] days since I've scored, I'm happy I was able to get in the end zone today," Johnson said after the game. "I seen it on Twitter today, and I was like, 'Really, it's been that long?' But it's like I'm saying, I'm happy that I got in the end zone, and looking forward to getting in the end zone next week."
After celebrating with his teammates in the end zone, Johnson could be seen on the broadcast throwing his hands up in the air, as if to say "Finally!"
The Titans had two more opportunities to score, but after their defense held strong on both drives, the Steelers came away with the win, moving to 5-3 on the back of Johnson's streak-breaking score.
Johnson was by no means invisible during his scoring drought, playing in all 17 of the Steelers' games in 2022 and recording 882 receiving yards to lead all Pittsburgh receivers. While he's missed four games while on injured reserve this season, Johnson has recorded games of 79, 85, and now 90 yards receiving since returning from his hamstring injury in Week 7. That makes him the first Steelers player with 75-plus receiving yards in three consecutive games since he did it in 2021, per NFL Research.
He just hadn't been able to find the end zone, a conundrum which Johnson said has continually frustrated him throughout the last two seasons, even if he tried not to focus on it.
"It was tough," Johnson said. "I was not trying to think about it but at the same time it's like, OK, I've got to figure out if I've got to do something different, certain routes or whatever it was, but just being myself and not pressing each and every week, just letting the ball find me, just keep getting open, and that's what happened."
Now, with the Steelers back in the win column with a long weekend ahead before facing the Green Bay Packers, Johnson will continue the work to ensure he and Pickett can connect on more touchdowns ASAP, instead of having to wait another 668 days.
