The anemic Steelers offense will need to work some magic Sunday during the team's Week 12 matchup against the 0-10 Bengals.
That's because they'll be without James Conner, who is dealing with a shoulder injury, and JuJu Smith-Schuster (concussion/knee). Neither player has practiced this week, and after another Friday off, the team officially declared them out vs. the Bengals.
Of course, the team will also be without Maurkice Pouncey, who is serving a two-game suspension for his involvement in the late-game brawl with the Browns and Myles Garrett. Backup B.J. Finney will take his place.
On the brighter side for the Steelers, Diontae Johnson — who, like Smith-Schuster left the Browns game with a concussion — practiced fully Wednesday, Thursday and again Friday. He seems to be on track to play Sunday in Cincinnati, pending clearance from a neurologist. Johnson cannot speak to media while he's in the league's concussion protocol, but his involvement on the field is a good sign for the team heading into Sunday's divisional matchup.
More good news: Running back Benny Snell should be able to help Jaylen Samuels pick up the slack left behind by Conner. He's practiced fully this week as he works back from a knee injury and appears in line to return to the field on Sunday.
"We got a couple new guys added to the lineup, we got Benny back, so we got a lot of good depth in the room and I believe in everybody," Samuels was telling me Friday at his locker. "So whoever coach wants in on the play, that's who wins. It's all different personnel and stuff."
Within that, though, exists a challenge: These players need to prepare as if they're getting 20-plus touches on game day. But that number can fluctuate. With Conner out, it's down to Samuels, Snell, newcomer Kerrith Whyte and Trey Edmunds to patch together the running game and to make an impact against the Bengals. None of the players knows exactly what that will look like on Sunday, but they agree the preparation remains the same.
"We play such a physical position, so the hits that we take every week, it can cause injuries and people missing games," Samuels said. "You just gotta take every week the same."
"For me, man, none of that stuff matters," Edmunds was telling me Friday. "I prepare like I'm going out there getting every single carry, every single rep every play of the game. Because this game, man, happens so fast, anything can happen. A guy can get hurt, a guy can go down, [and] your number can be called more or your number could be called less."
And just as this Steelers season has played out in the Twilight Zone from day one, there's a strange element at play within the team's current challenge at running back: Samuels, a second-year player, is the veteran leader of the group. Edmunds has the next-most experience at the pro level. They feel that responsibility, too.
"It is crazy right now," Samuels said. "It is like that, but I'm still young, still growing, still trying to learn as well, but I'm also leading for the people, for the guys that don't know that much. It is [exciting] but I'm still learning, still learning, still growing."
"Jaylen, along with myself, us older guys, we try to lean on each other," Edmunds was saying. "We have to lean on each other, and I think that's the only way we're going to be able to get through this."
Beyond Conner and Smith-Schuster, Artie Burns is doubtful to play with a knee injury despite being a full participant in Friday's practice. Every other player practiced in full Friday and will be in line for a normal workload on game day.
