Steelers vs. Cardinals: Pittsburgh keeps the 'winning' train rolling

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GLENDALE, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 08: Wide receiver Diontae Johnson #18 of the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second half of the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on December 08, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. The Steelers defeated the Cardinals 23-17. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

The Steelers rookie wide receiver provides a spark both in the passing game and on special teams

Providing some much-needed ‘splash’ in the special teams department was Diontae Johnson, the Steelers third-round pick in the 2019 NFL draft. After forcing the Cardinals to punt, Johnson took said punt 85 yards en route to scoring a TD. If you didn’t see it, you can it here: Johnson’s TD

Honestly, I can not remember the last time we had a punt return for a TD, but it was timely and it was necessary. Johnson also led all receivers in both receptions and receiving yards. According to the official website of the NFL, Johnson had 6 grabs for 60 yards and added a receiving TD.

I think it’s great that the contributions on offense are coming from a variety of players, but it’s especially nice to see those contributions come from a wide receiver as no one in the receiving corp has yet to break the 1,000-yard mark.

Through 13 games of the season, the Steelers are ranked 31st in average receiving yards per game. That is just awful. I do, however, see a glimmer of hope that our wide receivers can become more productive with the continued progression of Devlin Hodges.

‘Duck’ was very efficient, having connected on 16 out of 19 pass attempts, and seemed to be in complete control of the offense. He finished the game with 152 yards and 1 TD. These numbers are not going to light the world on fire, per se, but efficiency is what the Steelers offense needs right now.

Although the offense still ranks 28th in average yards per game, the run game seems to be improving as evidenced by the fact that we were able to amass 140 yards on the ground against the Cardinals. Through 13 games, the Steelers rushing attack is now ranked 24th in average yards per game.

Again, the run game is not lighting it up, as the saying goes, but the Steelers are finding ways to sustain drives and to control the line of scrimmage. Good things tend to happen when you can win the time of possession battle and that is what the Steelers were able to do against the Cardinals.

Let’s take a look at how the defense fared.