Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson. Jessica Rapfogel-USA TODAY Sports

Steelers WR Diontae Johnson has one chance to avoid unfortunate record

By Aaron Becker | Last updated 1/5/23

The Steelers have one game left to play in the regular season, which means WR Diontae Johnson has one last chance to avoid an NFL record nobody wants to have.

The fourth-year wide receiver has 84 receptions but zero touchdowns. With two scoreless catches in Week 18, Johnson would have the most receptions in a season without a touchdown reception, per StatMuse.com.

Diontae Johnson now has 113 targets without a touchdown this year, the busiest scoreless year in the target era (which dates back to 1992). The challenge now is to stay out of the end zone the rest of the season.
— scott pianowski (@scott_pianowski) December 12, 2022

It's a record that has been held by Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR James Wilder since 1984. However, Wilder did rush for 13 touchdowns that season while Johnson has zero in both categories.

Johnson found the end zone 20 times in his first three seasons, and earned his first Pro Bowl selection in 2021. It may just prove how unlucky this sort of thing is, but it doesn't change the fact that he's still on his way to owning the record.

Johnson signed a two-year contract extension worth nearly $37 million in the offseason. It's likely Pittsburgh didn't foresee a scoreless 2022 for him.

Johnson's last touchdown came in Week 17 of 2021 vs. the Browns. Maybe the stars are finally aligning for Johnson as the Steelers host Cleveland in their regular season finale.

But if Johnson fails to find the end zone in Week 18 but makes at least two catches, the record will be all his.

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