Johnson concussed but tweets he's 'fine'

The Steelers walked into Heinz Field on Sunday without any assistance, their active roster completely healthy, but they didn't leave that way.

Diontae Johnson was lost in the second quarter of the 28-21 victory over the Texans, clocked on a 9-yard end-around. He was diagnosed with a concussion. Derek Watt left in the same quarter with a hamstring injury. Neither returned.

This was the Johnson sequence:

For what's it's worth, Johnson tweeted this not long after the game:

Mike Tomlin offered no additional information afterward, beyond confirming that those were the only two principal injuries and that the rest were "the usual bumps and bruises associated with football."

In the latter category, T.J. Watt sustained what appeared to be an arm or midsection injury near the end of the same quarter, though he returned for the first defensive series of the third quarter and played extraordinarily well thereafter.

The best bit of injury news undoubtedly was that David DeCastro made his season debut after missing the first two games with a sprained knee and got through the afternoon without incident. If his troublesome knee limited him in any way, it wasn't evident. He had a strong performance as the Steelers rushed for a season-high 169 yards.

DeCastro said of the knee, "It's in pretty good shape," adding of his return, “It’s no fun being hurt, not being able to be out there with the guys, so I couldn’t wait to get back.”

"It was special," Ben Roethlisberger would say of DeCastro's return before crediting rookie Kevin Dotson's performance at right guard the previous week. "Kevin did a great job filling in. But, you know, Dave is special. Dave is one of the guys that makes this thing go. And I told him before the game just how happy I am to have him back. Not because he's a really good football player, but because he's a friend and really just means a lot to have him out there. So, I'm glad he came out feeling good, and we got a win for him, and I'm just looking forward to moving forward with him up there."

“I loved it,” James Conner said. “Anytime I know Dave's pulling, you have trust because he’s a beast. I can’t say enough about him ... his work ethic, his dedication to his game, his consistency.”

The Steelers' inactives, all healthy, were quarterback Josh Dobbs, offensive lineman Derwin Gray, tight end Zach Gentry, linebacker Ulysees Gilbert and defensive lineman Carlos Davis.

The Texans entered the game without running back Duke Johnson (ankle) and linebacker Peter Kalambayi (hamstring) before losing safety A.J. Moore (hamstring) during the game.