Steelers lean on Smith-Schuster
JuJu Smith-Schuster made an inside move and used his young legs to do the rest.
The rookie receiver scored on a 97-yard touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger late in the third quarter, and Pittsburgh forced Detroit to lose the ball twice on downs in a 20-15 win Sunday night.
Smith-Schuster, selected No. 62 overall from USC, had season highs with seven receptions for 193 yards.
“A lot of people said, ‘He’s young, he’s immature,’ ” Smith-Schuster said. “I’m 20 years old, but when I’m on the field, playing with my boys, I’m going to get the job done.”
Smith-Schuster also knows how to have a little fun. When he got to the sideline after his touchdown, he put a chain that he purchased Sunday on a stationary bike, making light of his bike being stolen and recovered recently.
“He’s a little kid, excited for the moment,” defensive end Cameron Heyward said. “You appreciate the energy he brings. Us old farts don’t know how to deal with it sometimes, but I’m glad we got him.”
Roethlisberger is, too, because he has a reliable receiver to go to when Antonio Brown is covered and Martavis Bryant is pouting.
Smith-Schuster’s last catch converted a 3rd-and-1 from the Steelers’ 32, allowing them to run out the clock.
“He’s not playing like a rookie,” Roethlisberger said. “He’s playing like a seasoned veteran.”
The AFC North-leading Steelers (6-2) go into their bye week with a three-game winning streak.
“We weren’t perfect, obviously, but boy, we showed fight,” head coach Mike Tomlin said.
The Steelers’ defense put up a curtain in front of the end zone, forcing the Lions to settle for field goals. When they went for touchdowns, Pittsburgh stopped them.
Detroit head coach Jim Caldwell chose to go for it on fourth down from the Steelers’ 1 trailing by one in the third quarter. Matthew Stafford was sacked as he stepped up out of a collapsing pocket and tried to run up the middle.
“Just as I thought I could do something, I got hit,” Stafford said.
A snap after missing wide-open tight end Jesse James on the ensuing drive, Roethlisberger dropped back into his end zone and perfectly lofted a pass to Smith-Schuster. The rookie receiver ran for about 70 yards after the catch, running past cornerback Quandre Diggs and pulling away from safety Glover Quin on his way to the end zone.
“I told him I didn’t know he had that much speed,” Roethlisberger recalled. “He said he didn’t, either.”