No JuJu Smith-Schuster, and almost certainly no James Conner.
Those were the top takeaways from the Steelers' final injury report Friday in advance of the pivotal game Sunday against the Browns at Heinz Field. And takeaways might be the most fitting terminology since, without Smith-Schuster and Conner on offense, the defense likely will need to generate a takeaway or two or four for the home team to prevail.
Here's the full official report:
Smith-Schuster was cleared from the NFL's concussion protocol Thursday, but he was also wearing a knee brace. He didn't participate in any practices all week, and now he'll miss a second consecutive game.
Conner was a limited participant Thursday and Friday, but finishing this week with that status all but assures that he'll miss a fourth game in five weeks. And the one game in which he did play in that span, the 21-7 loss Nov. 14 in Cleveland, he made only five carries before aggravating the shoulder injury and exiting.
Among the rest: Artie Burns, primarily a special teams player now, was upgraded from limited to full participation, a strong sign he'll return. Alejandro Villanueva, bugged by a shoulder injury and limited early in the week, was a full participant in the past two practices. And Ramon Foster, who didn't practice yesterday for non-injury reasons, was back to full participation Friday.
Neither Smith-Schuster nor Conner was available to reporters all week, including Friday, when neither was seen.
On the Browns' side, defensive back Eric Murray (knee) was ruled out, and three other players were listed as questionable: Defensive lineman Olivier Vernon (knee), left tackle Greg Robinson (concussion) and wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge (Achilles).
Vernon's the most significant of the group in that he returned to practice Wednesday and could help the Browns overcome the loss of Myles Garrett, in addition to defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi returning from his one-game suspension for blindsiding Mason Rudolph as part of that brawl.
Also, if Robinson can't play -- he was placed in protocol Wednesday and didn't practice all week — the Browns will go with Justin McCray or Kendall Lamm in protecting Baker Mayfield's blind side.
I've got a full Grind coming from my day with the team.
