Pittsburgh Steelers: Studs and duds from Week 1 vs. Giants
Stud: WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
He was coming off an injury-shortened season in which he caught only 42 passes for 552 yards and three scores in only a dozen games. But wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster proved to be the Steelers’ most reliable pass-catcher in the team’s Monday night win over the Giants.
Veteran quarterback Ben Roethlisberger took aim at the fourth-year pro six times and Smith-Schuster hauled in a half-dozen passes for 69 yards and two scores covering 10 and eight yards, respectively. He also came up with a key plays in the fourth quarter, recovering a sideline fumble from teammate Benny Snell and also fielding the Giants’ onside kick after New York had narrowed the score to 26-16.
Dud: RB James Conner
Injuries have plagued the early stages of the 2017 third-round pick. And running back James Conner would wind up leaving the game in the first half with a sprained ankle and would not return. But when he was on the field, the 2018 Pro Bowler (who missed six games a season ago) had his problems getting untracked.
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He carried six times for just nine yards and was targeted four times but caught only two passes for eight yards. His longest play of the evening was a six-yard reception. Fortunately for the Steelers, second-year pro Benny Snell took up the slack and finished with 19 carries for 113 yards. So how long will Conner be sidelined? Injuries have limited his career.