Pittsburgh Steelers: 3 bright spots in a bad loss to Oakland

OAKLAND, CA - DECEMBER 09: JuJu Smith-Schuster #19 of the Pittsburgh Steelers scores a touchdown dragging Gareon Conley #21 of the Oakland Raiders in to the endzone in the fourth quarter of their NFL football game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on December 9, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

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JuJu Smith-Schuster

This guy is an elite receiver. There is no more arguing over it.

JuJu Smith-Schuster had another great game. He hauled in eight catches for 130 yards and caught both of Big Ben’s passing touchdowns. He is becoming Ben’s most consistent target in the offense and showing off elite athleticism at the receiver position simultaneously.

The most impressive thing about JuJu this season has been his plays being made in clutch situations. He made an elite touchdown catch on an overthrow by Ben to close out the first half, he made a hard-fought catch in traffic for his second touchdown, and made a great run on a beautifully executed hook-and-ladder play that gave the Steelers a chance.

JuJu may be benefiting from double coverage on Antonio Brown, but other receivers haven’t flourished like this before when AB is dealing with double coverage. JuJu is special. That was clearly evident even in a bad loss.

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