Watch: Vintage Big Ben as QB drops a dime to Diontae Johnson

Steel City Underground will pick an exceptional play of the game as a highlight each week of the Steelers 2021 regular season. Stay tuned as we hand-select the very best from the Black and Gold!

Toss out the stat that the Pittsburgh Steelers are incapable of scoring on their opening offensive drive. Finally. In Week 4’s game against the Green Bay Packers, the Steelers were able to take the opening kickoff and drive 75 yards on eight plays to get an early, 7-0 lead, thanks to a nice pass from Ben Roethlisberger to Diontae Johnson for 45 yards.

After Mason Crosby put the opening kickoff into the end zone, the Steelers started at their own 25-yard line. Roethlisberger hit Johnson early for a three-yard gain. On the next two plays, Pittsburgh ran the ball, first with Najee Harris and then with Benny Snell. On second-and-ten, Roethlisberger hit JuJu Smith-Schuster for a gain of nine yards before Harris rushed two plays in a row to get a new set of downs. Ray-Ray McCloud was able to grab a two-yard catch to put the Steelers at their own 45-yard line on third-and-four.

Although Roethlisberger would have a tough outing on the day, he made good on the very next play from scrimmage when he found Johnson open for a 45-yard touchdown reception that was a free play due to an offsides penalty on Green Bay that was later declined.

The play was Roethlisberger’s 400th career touchdown pass, moving him past Dan Marino to become the eighth quarterback in NFL history to throw at least 400 touchdown passes in his career.

In three games this season, Johnson – who’d just come back from a leg injury in Week 3 – has recorded 23 catches for 233 yards and two touchdowns with zero drops.