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The last time the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns squared off was in Week 11 on Thursday Night Football. At one point during the prime time game, it looked as if it was the ‘Body Bag Game’, Part 2.
Players, mainly Steelers players, left the field at a rapid rate.
JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee/concussion)
Diontae Johnson (concussion)
Ola Adeniyi (concussion)
Artie Burns (knee)
James Conner (shoulder)
Others left the game, like T.J. Watt, but were able to return to the team before the end of regulation.
While some of those players have returned to the field, two of the biggest offensive stars the Steelers have, Smith-Schuster and Conner, remain sidelined with their injuries.
The good news for the Steelers is that they were able to get out of their second game vs. the Browns unscathed from an injury standpoint. This means that, with no new additions to the Steelers’ walking wounded, they can now focus on getting players healthy for the stretch run. That run begins with a trip to the desert in Week 14 whey they play Kyler Murray and the Cardinals on the road.
At this point and time the fact remains that if the Steelers can get Smith-Schuster and Conner back in the lineup, it will not just be a huge boost to a struggling unit; you have to wonder if James Washington, Diontae Johnson, Benny Snell and newcomers Kennith Whyte and Deon Cain could help divert some attention away from Conner and Smith-Schuster.
This would help open up opportunities for them which didn’t reside within the offense before Washington made several key receptions, Johnson became a threat over the middle and Snell showed his hard-running, hard-nosed style at Kentucky can translate to the NFL.
The offense which had to rely on practice squad players to help them claim wins the last two weeks might be getting some help from two Pro Bowl players, and it couldn’t come at a better time.
Stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the black-and-gold as they prepare for the Cardinals in Week 14.