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Steelers WR Diontae Johnson: Don't jump on the bandwagon 'once we win'
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Steelers WR Diontae Johnson: Don't jump on the bandwagon 'once we win'

The Pittsburgh Steelers are the only double-digit underdog playing on Wild Card Weekend, but wide receiver Diontae Johnson isn't lacking for confidence in his team's chances at pulling the upset against the Kansas City Chiefs.

“Once we win, don’t try to hop back on the bandwagon,” Johnson told reporters, via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “Remember all that stuff you’re saying now. I’m just going to leave it at that.” 

Johnson, 25, emerged as the Steelers' top receiver this season after JuJu Smith-Schuster suffered a shoulder injury in Week 5 and was shut down for the remainder of the regular season. Johnson finished the year with 107 receptions for 1,161 yards and eight touchdowns.

While Johnson is trying to speak a win into existence, his quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been saying nearly the exact opposite in his conversations with the media, going instead with the 'nothing to lose' mentality.

"I would assume, as a group, you understand that we probably aren't supposed to be here," Roethlisberger said Wednesday, via ESPN. "We probably are not a very good football team. Out of 14 teams I think are in, we're probably number 14... We're probably 20-point underdogs, and we're going to the No. 1 seed, the No. 1 team. I know they're not the No. 1 seed, obviously, but they're the No. 1 team that has won the AFC the last two years, arguably the best team in football."

The Steelers and Chiefs will meet Sunday night with kickoff scheduled for 8:15 p.m. ET.

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