The Steelers‘ 13–10 loss to the Browns Sunday was a major blow to Pittsburgh’s playoff hopes, dropping the team to 6–4 at Thanksgiving in football’s deepest division.
However, it may also have put a considerable damper on the Steelers' morale as well.
Pittsburgh wide receiver Diontae Johnson got in an altercation with safety Minkah Fitzpatrick after the game, according to a Saturday evening report from ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Per Schefter, Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward and linebacker T.J. Watt stepped into break up the brief fracas.
“One source told ESPN that Johnson, the Steelers’ second-leading receiver, continued ‘chirping’ at the coaches all the way into the locker room,” Schefter wrote, “where Fitzpatrick … began arguing with Johnson.”
Denny Simmons/The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network
The exchange then became increasingly heated before Heyward and Watt stepped in to defuse it, per Schefter.
Johnson had appeared visibly frustrated during the game as Pittsburgh mustered just 249 yards in a slugfest—the team's last game before firing offensive coordinator Matt Canada. He finished with just two catches for 16 yards as Cleveland beat the Steelers on a late field goal.
Pittsburgh visits the 5–5 Bengals this week in a battle with massive postseason implications.
