Will Juju play this week?
The latest word has Juju Smith-Schuster listed as questionable on the injury report. This is bad news because he was healthy and off the injury report on Wednesday and Thursday. He was limited on Friday with a foot injury, and so the hope is that it is minor and that he will be ready on Sunday.
The Steelers will need Juju because he is their best receiver. They also would be forced to used Ryan Switzer as a starter in this slot in 11 personnel if Smith-Schuster doesn’t play. This is less than ideal for a team that is struggling in the passing game.
Some have questioned Juju’s production in 2019, but he is still their best receiver. He may not have had the stats that he had in 2018, but he is drawing more double teams. The value of Juju is that he takes some of the focus of the defense. Not having Juju makes it easier to cover the Steeler’s receivers.
Conclusion
The Steelers head into Sunday with some injuries, especially on the offensive side of the ball. They will have some trouble in the run game without James Conner, Roosevelt Nix, and Benny Snell. They might also be banged up at Wide Receiver if Juju Smith-Schuster can’t go for the Steelers.
Mike Tomlin has a massive task going against Sean McVay with all the injuries the Black & Gold have. Tomlin’s strength is that he is an excellent evaluator of talent, but personnel might be a disadvantage with all the Steelers injuries.
The Steelers need to win at home, so a gritty win is exactly what this team needs to stay in the division race. The Rams are a good team, but they are more beatable in 2019 than they were in 2018.