Pittsburgh-right there.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger passed the ball perfectly to Diontae Johnson, his hands outstretched as he crossed the end zone in front of Baltimore Ravens cornerback Anthony Averett.

This should be a touchdown, which is the spark the Steelers need Sunday after a stalled offense at halftime.

But when Afflett swooped at his ankle and bounced onto the turf, the ball passed over Johnson's fingertips, and Johnson literally landed first in the Pittsburgh yellow G in the end zone of Heinz Field. The Steelers (6-5-1) had to accept shots after Johnson's first loss of the season instead of equalizing the Ravens one minute before halftime.

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A year ago, this mistake would bury Johnson. This mistake could snowball like a snowball and destroy his confidence.

On the contrary, Johnson responded not once, but two touchdowns in the second half when the Steelers won 20-19, which consolidated Johnson’s position as the first wide receiver and maintained the Steelers’ hopes for the playoffs. .

"He is a special genius," Roethlisberger said of Johnson's second score, which was a 5-yard winning touchdown. "And I think the bigger thing for me is a touchdown. He would have been an amazing catch earlier, but he didn't catch it. He didn't get into the tank. He came back, just played and moved on.

"This fully explains who he is, and his growth and maturity in such a young football career, that he can rebound and play for us."

A year ago, the Steelers played most of the first half of the game against the Buffalo Bills on December 14. The 2019 third-round pick was replaced after two drops in the first quarter. He ended the season with 12 goals conceded—four more than any other player in 2020, and twice as many catchers for the Steelers who followed.

Entering Thursday night's game against the Minnesota Vikings (8:20 PM Eastern Time, Fox/NFL Network), Johnson lost only one goal. He is one of 12 players with at least 100 goals, and among these 12 players, he is tied for the least with Stephen Diggs of the Bills and Davante Adams of the Packers. With reliable hands, Johnson leads the Steelers with 914 yards and 6 touchdowns.

"He is definitely number one," said Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, who has been in the injury reserve team since October 10. I like to watch. I like to watch him score goals. I like to watch him dance his little dance. I like to see us win. "

Due to a knee injury, Johnson did not participate in Week 3 of the Steelers vs. Cincinnati Bengals, but he was still on the court more than an hour before kick-off.

Equipment assistant Lou Balde stood about 5 yards behind Johnson.

When Johnson looked back at Bald, the Steelers' assistant threw a football onto the wide receiver's right shoulder and twisted it with his hands to increase the spin during the shot. Johnson catches the ball and then bounces it back to him. Before proceeding to another exercise, the two practiced over and over again.

Since training camp, Bald and Johnson have been spending extra time together. Bald is often the planner behind the training, helping Johnson improve his catching and hand-eye coordination skills.

"We just got together and said we would try to do some extra work," Johnson said. "He puts forward exercises half the time... I believe he is helping me while also improving my game. This has been showing."

Even before he participated in the NFL training camp for the third time, the 25-year-old Johnson worked overtime at his home in Florida. He bought a tennis ball machine for his family during the offseason and started catching tennis balls to improve his hand-eye coordination.

"Just want to catch the ball from a different angle," Johnson said. "The ball is not perfect for you every time. You catch the tennis ball, and it has a smaller surface, so you focus more on tennis. Once I start playing football, things become easier."

When he returned to Pittsburgh, the tennis machine remained in Florida, but Bald threw tennis balls at him before, during, and after practice, and before the game. Other players have also noticed.

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"He actually inspired me to do extra work after practice," said Safety Minka Fitzpatrick. "He probably caught 100 extra passes and then he caught the tennis ball. I started doing the same thing. Earlier this year, I had been trying to catch. I think he also helped me a lot. He challenged me to take one more step."

Johnson spoke softly, but after Tuesday's training, a small group of Johnson's teammates, including wide receiver Chase Kleipel and Cody White, stayed late to catch extra passes.

"I just let my work speak, no matter who decides to follow me, that's what it looks like," Johnson said. "I will continue to lead by example, play on the court, do extra training, no matter who wants to do extra work with me, let us become great together."

At the beginning of each week, Johnson will print out a scout report about his next opponent's middle school and paste it in his locker. This is another suggestion from Bald.

"I like to see who I am fighting against and who they get," Johnson said. "Who travels (when cornerbacks stay on a catcher), they will kick the ball right or left, and so on. I also want to know who the backup is. So if one of them fails, I will know What will happen."

As the top receiver of the Steelers, Johnson attracted the attention of the league's top corner kicks.

Before the game with the Ravens, he studied Marlon Humphrey’s tendencies, and when he shook the cornerback with the help of close end Pat Fryermut, he paid off with a clear line. And the rapid change of direction allowed him to make time for winning touchdowns.

"I see no security measures," Johnson said on Sunday. "It's zero coverage. They do it often. So, I know many times we will run an alternative route or some short routes. In that case, Malone likes to cross the peak. So, we get some traffic, so I can open up."

Johnson beat the Ravens in the second half, hitting 7 of 8 goals in 91 yards, and hit only 1 of 3 goals in the first half. In addition, Johnson's average separation distance in the second half was 4.3 yards, a significant increase from 1.4 yards in the first half.

"Special," Roethlisberger said, describing Johnson's ability to get rid of rest. "It's fast. For the second touchdown, he ran his route and put his foot on the ground. I don't know how many people could stop it. That's why we put the game in. We put the game in and let him do that. This kind of thing, the best way to stop him is to catch him."

According to Next Gen Stats, on Sunday night’s first score on Sunday night, which was a 29-yard touchdown, Johnson had a 10.0 yard interval when the ball arrived—this was the most touchdown scored by Roethlisberger this season. .

All the Steelers except the experts...and Diontae Johnson are now off the court. Johnson was inactive due to a knee injury. For the past 10 minutes or so, he spent most of his time still catching the ball. pic.twitter.com/NYuSXDWSA8

Johnson averaged 3.09 yards apart, ranking sixth among 12 receivers with at least 100 goals.

With his speed and improved hands, Johnson is fighting for a second contract, which is rare for the Steelers wide receiver, or a handsome payday when he becomes a free agent in 2023. As he descended behind him, he was the weapon the Steelers needed for the playoffs.

"He is becoming a veteran, so there is reason to expect him to get better physically, he gets better in understanding and understanding the game and using this knowledge for his own benefit," coach Mike Tomlin said. "Also, as long as it can withstand the ups and downs of a game, a series or a season. We appreciate his growth and development, but I think no one is surprised by it. In fact, we look forward to it and we need it. ."