4 takeaways from Steelers ugly loss vs. Bills in Week 14

There is reason to worry about WR Diontae Johnson

Perhaps being benched for most of the first half was the kick in the pants he needed to screw his head back on straight, but I’d be lying if I said that there wasn’t a reason to worry about Diontae Johnson at this point. After posting 10 drops on his first 106 targets this season, Johnson yet again dropped a pair of balls very early in this contest – which led to his benching.

While the second-year receiver was able to turn things around in the second half and pick up a few nice gains after the catch, we can’t just pretend that these issues will magically go away. You could make a very strong case that Johnson has the worst hands in the NFL right now (at least among wide receivers) and his astounding drop rate got even higher after a loss to Buffalo in Week 14.

With the way the Steelers offense operates, Diontae Johnson is an essential piece of the puzzle, and we know that he does a terrific job once the ball is secure in his hands. However, consistently getting to that point could be an issue. The coaching staff needs to find a way to correct this problem, and fast. Otherwise, this could be something that always plagues what could be a very good year by a talented, young receiver.