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Any team would miss a wide receiver of the caliber of JuJu Smith-Schuster, and the Pittsburgh Steelers have certainly done so. But both the team and the player's travails seem to be coming to an end as JuJu Smith-Schuster has been activated off injured reserve and is scheduled to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs.
Before he was injured, in the five games that he played, he had 15 receptions on 28 targets for 129 yards. The Steelers have only conjured 215 yards of average passing offense per game for a total of 3,656 passing yards this season. The Steelers offense is ranked 23rd this season in terms of total yards and JuJu Smith-Schuster's return would be an absolute boost for Pittsburgh.
A background to JuJu Smith-Schuster's injury
JuJu Smith-Schuster was injured in Week 5 of the 2021 NFL season against the Denver Broncos. He sustained the injury to his right shoulder on an end-around that resulted in a 3 yard gain. He was tackled by safety Kareem Jackson and was slow to get up. He was treated on the field before being moved to the hospital. He needed to have surgery and was expected to miss the rest of the season.
But now it seems his injury has healed much faster than expected and he is now expected to be back in the team and looking ready to face the Kansas City Chiefs.
The assignment the Pittsburgh Steelers face against the Kansas City Chiefs is daunting. The Steelers sneaked into the playoffs with a 9-7-1 record. The Chiefs, meanwhile, had the joint-best record in the AFC at 12-5. The Steelers need all the help they can get and him returning definitely aids the team.
They are also playing against a team that has an explosive offense but has weaknesses in defense, especially in the passing game. The Kansas City Chiefs have allowed 251.4 passing yards per game. They are ranked 27th in the league. If the Pittsburgh Steelers are to have any chance, they will have to exploit this facet of the game.
Ben Roethlisberger is not the player he once was and cannot go deep on throws like he used to. Roethlisberger will definitely need his wide receivers to provide him with multiple short and long options on each play. If his legendary career is to see one more match after this one, it may hinge on JuJu Smith-Schuster playing at the level that he can.
