After a dominating 40-17 victory over the Tennessee Titans last week, the Pittsburgh Steelers currently sit at 8-2, good for a tie atop the AFC standings with the New England Patriots. After a slow start to the season for the offense, everything is clicking for Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, Le'Veon Bell, and rookie standout JuJu Smith-Schuster.
Smith-Schuster, who starred at USC before being selected in the second round by the Steelers this spring, has solidified himself as the number two receiver for Pittsburgh behind Brown. He's currently second on the team with 568 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns.
Heading into a Week 12 matchup with the Green Bay Packers, Smith-Schuster's status is unfortunately up in the air as he deals with a hamstring issue, according to head coach Mike Tomlin.
From ESPN's Jeremy Fowler:
JuJu Smith-Schuster, the Pittsburgh Steelers' productive and popular rookie, is dealing with a “small” hamstring injury that the team will monitor this week, coach Mike Tomlin said.
Because Smith-Schuster is just a rookie in need of more practice reps , Tomlin told Fowler and other members of the media at today's press conference that his hamstring will need to improve well before Sunday's game if he's going to play.
At this point in the season, Tomlin emphasized the importance of practice time for rookies. More from Fowler:
“The seasons that [rookies] are used to are coming to a close — they are getting ready for finals, they are transitioning to bowl prep,” Tomlin said. “Guys like [T.J. Watt] and JuJu and others, they are moving into uncharted territory.”
With the playoffs looming, it's important that the Steelers remain healthy at key spots and don't let minor injuries, like Smith-Schuster's, turn into long-term concerns.
Also, given Green Bay's struggles without Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh should have the pieces necessary to take home a victory even if JuJu is unable to go.
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