The Cincinnati Bengals forced a big turnover early in their game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, and Diontae Johnson did absolutely nothing to prevent it.
Steelers running back Jaylen Warren was trying to fight for a first down on 3rd-and-2 deep in Cincinnati territory when he fumbled the ball. Johnson was one of the closest players to the loose ball, but the wide receiver just watched it roll by him. Bengals players swarmed the loose ball and cornerback DJ Turner scooped it up.
Diontae Johnson (No. 18) appeared to have a chance at this loose ball, but was not able to make it happen pic.twitter.com/B736lPSx8H
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 26, 2023
Johnson obviously thought Warren was down before the ball came loose. The receiver was not the only Steelers player who seemed slow to react, but it looked like he had a better view at what was going on than any of his teammates. Players are taught to dive on a loose ball anytime they are unsure, and Johnson certainly did not do that.
The lack of effort looked particularly bad in the wake of a report that Johnson had a heated confrontation with a teammate in the locker room last week.
