Taking blame

Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster continued to take the blame Monday for a costly loss by the Pittsburgh Steelers, saying on Twitter that he “let everyone down” after a fourth-quarter fumble.

After the New Orleans Saints scored the go-ahead touchdown for a 31-28 lead with 1:25 remaining, the Steelers were driving into fieldgoal range when Smith-Schuster fumbled at the New Orleans’ 34.

Smith-Schuster appeared devastated in the postgame locker room, sitting quietly in his chair in full uniform while teammates got dressed and prepared to leave. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger came over to talk with him during that time.

Teammates were fully supportive of Smith-Schuster after the game, noting his key contributions throughout the season.

“He’s been great,” wide receiver Antonio Brown said. “He’s a reason we’re here.”

But Smith-Schuster, 22, hadn’t shaken off the mistake by Monday, even after a game in which he had 11 catches for 115 yards. Roethlisberger said on The

Cook & Joe Show on Monday that he’s proud of Smith-Schuster and “hate that it happened to him.”

“And told him that, ‘If you play this game long enough, JuJu’ — which I think he will, because I think he’s a special talent, a special player — I said, ‘You’re gonna have many, many more opportunities to go win games and there will probably be a few where things don’t go your way,’” Roethlisberger said.