The Steelers head into Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints with a question mark at wide receiver.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, who left practice early with a groin injury on Thursday, didn't practice on Friday and is questionable for the game. Smith-Schuster is the Steelers leading receiver with 1,274 yards on 95 receptions and has six receiving touchdowns.
Earlier this week Saints Coach Sean Payton talked about the challenge of defending the duo of Smith-Schuster and Antonio Brown.
"They're explosive players, they run well, they have great ball skills," said Payton. "It's challenging with two, relative to how you cover them. I think they transition very well. They can get to top end speed, but they can also stop. That allows them separation and you partner that with a quarterback like Ben (Roethlisberger) and that makes for a challenging day."
James Conner, who didn't practice all week, has been ruled out and will miss his third straight game.
The running game was on fire last week against the New England Patriots when rookie Jaylen Samuels carried the ball 19 times for 142 yards. Samuels and Stevan Ridley will be called upon again this week, but it will be a tough test going against a Saints team that has been strong against the run.
"I would be remiss if I didn't mention that they are No. 1 in football vs. the run," said Coach Mike Tomlin during his weekly press conference. "Part of that is being a 12-2 football team, I understand that, having leads and so forth. But I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that they're No. 2 in the league vs. the run in terms of yards allowed per carry. They're probably not seeing a lot of carries because of the nature of the game, or the circumstances they're in, but you better acknowledge they're just formidable in stopping the run, period."
Cameron Heyward hasn't shown any ill effects of the hyperextended knee he suffered against the Patriots last week. Heyward, who returned to the game after he injured the knee, was a full participant in practice all week and is good to go for Sunday.
The same is true for Bud Dupree, who left the Patriots game with a knee injury. Dupree was limited in practice on Wednesday but was a full go on Thursday and Friday. Tomlin had indicated during his Tuesday press conference that he didn't expect Dupree to miss this week's game and that is the case.
Terrell Edmunds, who was in concussion protocol early in the week, has been cleared and after being limited in practice on Wednesday he was a full go on Thursday and Friday.
The full practice report is below.
Pittsburgh Steelers Participation/Injury Report, Week 16
Game Status
WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (Groin) - Questionable
RB James Conner (Ankle) - Out
Friday, December 21
QB Ben Roethlisberger (Coach's Decision) - Full
WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (Groin) - DNP
RB James Conner (Ankle) - DNP
S Terrell Edmunds (Concussion) - Full
LB Bud Dupree (Knee) - Full
C Maurkice Pouncey (Coach's Decision) - Full
DE Cameron Heyward (Knee) - Full
Thursday, December 20
QB Ben Roethlisberger (Coach's Decision) - Full
WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (Groin) - Limited
RB James Conner (Ankle) - DNP
S Terrell Edmunds (Concussion) - Full
LB Bud Dupree (Knee) - Full
C Maurkice Pouncey (Coach's Decision) - Full
DE Cameron Heyward (Knee) - Full
Wednesday, December 19
QB Ben Roethlisberger (Coach's Decision) - DNP
RB James Conner (Ankle) - DNP
S Terrell Edmunds (Concussion) - Limited
LB Bud Dupree (Knee) - DNP
C Maurkice Pouncey (Coach's Decision) - DNP
DE Cameron Heyward (Knee) - Full
New Orleans Saints Participation/Injury Report, Week 16
Game Status
T Jermon Bushrod (Hamstring) - Out
Friday, December 21
T Jermon Bushrod (Hamstring) - DNP
C Max Unger (Concussion) - Full
G Andrus Peat (Shoulder) - Full
T Ryan Ramczyk (Shoulder) - Full
P Thomas Morstead (Left ankle) - Full
T Terron Armstead (Pectoral/knee) - Full
Thursday, December 20
T Jermon Bushrod (Hamstring) - DNP
C Max Unger (Concussion) - Limited
G Andrus Peat (Shoulder) - Limited
T Ryan Ramczyk (Shoulder) - Limited
P Thomas Morstead (Left ankle) - Limited
T Terron Armstead (Pectoral/knee) - Limited
Wednesday, December 19
T Jermon Bushrod (Hamstring) - DNP
C Max Unger (Concussion) - DNP
G Andrus Peat (Shoulder) - Limited
T Ryan Ramczyk (Shoulder) - Limited
P Thomas Morstead (Left ankle) - Limited
T Terron Armstead (Pectoral/knee) - Limited
