Refs literally injured JuJu Smith-Schuster against Jags

The Pittsburgh Steelers star receiver injured his foot on an errant penalty flag thrown by a ref.

This Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers enjoyed a fun trip down to Florida, where they put a beating on the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars. Even though the team extended their record to 10-0 on the season and that Chase Claypool made history as a rookie in the Super Bowl era, they didn’t leave the contest unscathed.

During the contest, star wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster suffered an ankle injury after inadvertently stepping on a penalty flag thrown by a referee. Smith-Schuster limped instantly and was limited for the remainder of the game. In fact, the wide receiver’s status for their Thanksgiving night game against the Baltimore Ravens is in serious doubt.

JuJu’s unhappy birthday

What a freak accident for Smith-Schuster, and on his birthday no less!

Pittsburgh did not practice on Monday, but head coach Mike Tomlin did say that Smith-Schuster’s availability hinges on his participation in Wednesday’s practice. What makes matters worse is he has such a short amount of ret to turn the corner.

On Sunday, Smith-Schuster caught four-of-five targets for 19 yards. Overall, the fourth-year wideout has hauled in 58-of-75 targets from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for 535 yards and five touchdowns.

There’s not only panic on the Pittsburgh side of things for the Thursday night game. The Ravens placed running backs Mark Ingram and JK. Dobbins on the reserve list after both tested positive for COVID-19, effectively ruling them out for the important game. Baltimore is currently on a two-game losing streak and if they lose to Pittsburgh, they will be officially eliminated from the AFC North hunt.

Sure, the Steelers have one of the deeper receiving corps in the league, but you best believe that they would like Smith-Schuster to be on the field. But considering they have a Super Bowl on their minds, you can’t be surprised if the Steelers opt to play it safe and rest him for Week 12. Pay attention for Wednesday for an official update on his status.