CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- People have been waiting all season for Diontae Johnson to have this type of a game.
In the Steelers' 24-16 victory over the Panthers on Sunday afternoon at Bank of America Stadium, Johnson was every bit of the No. 1 receiver he's paid to be, hauling in 10 catches for 98 yards.
While it's a nice stat line, that certainly doesn't jump out as one of his best and certainly doesn't compare with a guy such as Justin Jefferson, who's a fantasy owner's dream.
However, for a guy who's been needing to show he can consistently be the go-to receiver when a play is needed, Sunday is exactly what he and many others were looking for. Regardless of the yards they produced, 10 catches is a lot, especially when he was targeted only 10 times.
"I didn’t even know I had that. It’s big. It just shows that I have to keep working and shows what I can do when I have the ball in my hands," Johnson said after the game. "I’ve got to give it to Mitch [Trubisky] for just trusting me and coming in and stepping up by leading us and helping us get this win today."
Trubisky needed someone to rely on against Carolina. He was coming off a game where he filled in for a concussed Kenny Pickett and wound up throwing three interceptions in a painful loss to Baltimore. While Trubisky earned the right to start again as Pickett continues to recover, a message was sent loud and clear that protecting the football was of the utmost importance when Mike Tomlin split first-team reps between Trubisky and Mason Rudolph in practice this week.
In addition, Pat Freiermuth might have been active Sunday, but he was clearly hobbled by a foot injury sustained in last week's loss to the Ravens. That limited a key target for Trubisky, especially in weighty-down situations, as Tomlin says.
All of the pressure was on Trubisky to ride the line between being aggressive and protecting the football -- a line that very few quarterbacks learn to master.
"The only thing I cared about today was winning," Trubisky said. "Staying on the field. Converting those third downs and helping this team win. It was an emphasis all week. I know I could protect the football. That's what I did today. I'm just proud of all the other guys for sticking together."
Converting third downs is where Johnson shined the brightest against Carolina:
That's just one of five -- FIVE -- catches Johnson made to convert third downs into first downs. That accounted for nearly half of the team's third down conversions on Sunday, which was obviously a big part of the team going 12 for 16 in those instances.
What's more, these catches came in different varieties. There were plays such as the one above where Johnson runs a good route, gains separation and Trubisky hits him in stride. Then, there were others that required Johnson to do more after the catch.
This is where fans have been hardest on Johnson this season, and rightfully so. Regardless of the reason, Johnson has too often tried to turn seemingly every catch into a home run instead of just gaining positive yards when they're needed.
However, Johnson's been trending a bit back to not trying so hard, and it's resulted in more positive yards, or at least minimizing negative yards, after the catch. This was evident in a critical moment in the game when the Steelers really needed a first down. Carolina had closed their deficit to eight points late in the fourth quarter, and the Steelers faced a third and 14:
Johnson runs a good route and needs only the one cut to gain the necessary yards needed for the first down, plus a few more.
This is exactly what Johnson has needed to do all season, and he felt it throughout the game. Sometimes even a little too much.
To lead off the third quarter, the Steelers ran an incredible 21-play, 91-yard drive that took 11:43 off the clock, capping it off with a 1-yard touchdown run by Trubisky. Johnson helped convert two third downs on the drive, including this incredible display on a play that gave Pittsburgh first and goal:
After this play, Johnson immediately got up and let out about as much emotion as we've seen all season. Unfortunately for him and the offense, Johnson did it right in the face of a Panthers' defender and was flagged 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct.
"I was just in the moment celebrating. He was just there and I didn’t even see him there and was just in the moment," Johnson said. "There wasn’t anything towards him, I was just excited."
Nevertheless, it set the Steelers back.
However, in a season where Johnson's struggled with yards after the catch and drops in critical situations, days like Sunday are a breath of fresh air. They're also a reminder of why the Steelers signed him to a contract extension this past summer.
Another reason why is his attitude. I had a chance to ask him after the game how it felt to put up a stat line with 10 catches and 98 yards, and his response echoed the same guy I've spoken with on and off the record this season.
"I didn't even know. I was just out there playing," Johnson said. "I wasn't really worried about the stats. At the end of the day, I'm just out there trying to help the team win. ... It's bigger than me. It's not all about me. It's about us."
