Pittsburgh Steelers: Shoulder End's JuJu Smith-Schuster's Season
The Steelers (2-3) got back on track Sunday, but they have lost a top receiver for the season.
JuJu Smith-Schuster will be placed on injured reserve after dislocating his shoulder against the Denver Broncos. He'll have season-ending surgery, per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network.
Smith-Schuster re-signed with the Steelers this season after testing free agency, reportedly turning down a bigger offer from the Ravens.
He had caught 15 passes for 129 yards so far this season. He is part of Pittsburgh's productive wide receiver trio led by Chase Claypool (20 catches, 341 yards, one touchdown) and Diontae Johnson (25 catches, 305 yards, three touchdowns).
Wide receivers James Washington and Ray-Ray McCloud will likely see more reps, but Smith-Schuster's absence will be another challenge for the offense and 39-year-old quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The Steelers snapped a three-game losing streak with Sunday's 27-19 victory over the Denver Broncos and Roethlisberger had his best game of the season – (15 for 25, 253 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions).
However, the Steelers are still in the AFC North basement as they prepare to host the Seattle Seahawks in Week 6, and Roethlisberger gave a realistic response when asked if Sunday's victory would quiet his critics.
"Probably not," Roethlisberger said via the team’s website. "But we won the game. That's all that matters, truthfully. No disrespect to your question, but that's all that matters. We didn't care if it was pretty, ugly. We just wanted to win the game."
Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Burrow Sent to Hospital Following Overtime Loss
Keeping quarterback Joe Burrow healthy is a key to Cincinnati's season, and he took some punishment during Sunday's 25-22 overtime loss to the Green Bay Packers. Burrow finished the game, but the Bengals announced afterward that he was taken to the hospital following the game with a possible throat contusion.
Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer reported Burrow was having trouble speaking and was not made available for his usual postgame press conference.
Nobody questions Burrow's toughness. He took a huge hit in the second quarter of Sunday's game, but shook it off and threw a 71-yard touchdown pass to Ja'Marr Chase a short time later.
Emmanuel Acho of FOX Sports thinks Burrow should have slid to avoid the vicious sandwich hit he took from Darnell Savage and De'Vondre Campbell.
The Burrow to Chase combination has been electric for the Bengals (3-2), who will keep their fingers crossed that their second-year quarterback is 100 percent when they host the Detroit Lions in Week 6.
Cleveland Browns: No Love for Refs After Loss to Chargers
The Browns (3-2) were angry about the officiating after Sunday's wild 47-42 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. The game ended with Baker Mayfield throwing an incomplete Hail Mary pass in the end zone, but the Browns felt pass interference should have been called after tight end David Njoku was knocked to the ground.
Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield said he expected to be fined by the NFL for his postgame comments.
"Might as well forward the fine letter – we asked the ref on the sideline how the hell he missed that call," Mayfield said via heavy.com.
Meanwhile, Cleveland cornerback A.J. Green was called for pass interference earlier in the game, on a play the play the Browns felt was perfectly legal. If anything, the Browns felt offensive pass inference should have been called on Chargers receiver Mike Williams.
"It was terrible," Browns All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett said. "I mean, you've seen the pictures. You've seen the videos. It was a terrible call. It is what it is. The refs are humans, and they make mistakes, but we get held to a high standard and a high degree of excellence (as players), and so should they."
However, giving up a season-high 47 points made it difficult for the Browns to win. Mayfield acknowledged that the Browns, who host the unbeaten Arizona Cardinals (5-0) in Week 6, need to play better.
"We left too many points on the field in the first half," Mayfield said. "We left it in the hands of somebody else. So we've got to be better on that."
