Steelers WR Diontae Johnson claims he ‘didn’t see’ fumble that landed right in front of him in bizarre moment against Bengals… before playing down his locker-room spat with Minkah Fitzpatrick: ‘Don’t get it twisted’

Diontae Johnson insists he didn’t see the fumble that landed right in front of him during the Steelers’ win over the Bengals on Sunday after he was criticized for seemingly not making an attempt to save possession.

The Pittsburgh wide receiver appeared bizarrely distracted when his team fumbled the ball late in the first quarter of their game against Cincinnati.

Running back Jaylen Warren crashed into a wall of orange jerseys after Johnson attempted a running play just watched the ball hit the turf and turned around as if the game was over.

While other Steelers stars pursued Turner, his urgency remained non-existent. He then made no attempt to help his team stop the comeback as Turner ran to the Cincinnati 40-yard line.

The 27-year-old’s apparent lack of enthusiasm sparked controversy, but after Pittsburgh’s 16–10 win, Johnson claimed he missed the fumble and did not intentionally abandon it.

“I didn’t see it,” he told reporters. “I was just doing my job blocking or whatever it is.”

Days after firing offensive coordinator Matt Canada, the Steelers showed new life on offense as Kenny Pickett threw for a season-high 278 yards to help them survive the Joe Burrow-less Bengals.

In their first game since Canada’s firing — the franchise’s first change of coordinator or head coach since 1941 — Pittsburgh (7-4) totaled 421 yards, snapping a streak of 58 games without gaining 400 yards.

Johnson was in the headlines heading into Sunday’s game against the Bengals following reports that he had a heated locker room confrontation with Steelers teammate Minkah Fitzpatrick following last week’s loss to the Cleveland Browns.

ESPN claimed he and Fitzpatrick had to be separated by teammates after the 13-10 loss to their AFC North division rival, with star defensemen TJ Watt and Cameron Heyward intervening as tempers flared in Cleveland.

Steelers duo Diontae Johnson (left) and Minkah Fitzpatrick got into an argument after their loss to the Browns

“It’s really nothing,” Johnson said when asked about the story. ‘After all, they are my brothers.

‘Players, we will be players. We are passionate about the game and everyone wants to win. You can’t watch it because we had an all-out brawl or something. It’s not, so don’t get it twisted.

“Players, everyone does it on every team and talks trash to each other. We crushed it, we won the game today. That’s all that matters.’