‘Sorry, everybody:' JuJu Smith-Schuster takes blame for Steelers' loss
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — A half hour after the Pittsburgh Steelers’ loss to the New York Jets on Sunday, JuJu Smith-Schuster sat at his locker in full uniform sans helmet.
The majority of his teammates in the MetLife Stadium visitors’ locker room had showered and changed, and some had even left to catch the bus to the airport. But Smith-Schuster sat, staring blankly at the ground with hands with fingers clenched together as if in prayer.
If what Smith-Schuster told reporters was true, he was replaying in his mind the final meaningful play of the 16-10 defeat that put the Steelers’ playoff hopes in peril.
“It’s frustrating when it’s the last play of the game — and you expect your guy to make the play, and I don’t make the play,” Smith-Schuster said, his eyes red and damp with tears. “It’s not the first time I’ve let down my team, and I’ve let down Steelers fans.”
A final, desperate pass by Devlin Hodges to Smith-Schuster fell incomplete on fourth-and-7 from the Jets’ 44 yard-line. Smith-Schuster had a bit of separation from New York cornerback Brian Poole, and the ball was thrown close to the receiver. It perhaps was a bit high, but that might have been because Smith-Schuster mistimed his jump.
“Just didn’t make the play,” Smith-Schuster said. “Didn’t make the catch.”
During about 70 seconds with the media after the game, Smith-Schuster steered questions back to that final play.
“All I can think about is not making that play on the last drive,” he said. “This is literally the worst feeling in the world.”
That was eerily similar to what Smith-Schuster said after fumbling in overtime against the Baltimore Ravens on Oct. 6, “Literally the worst feeling ever.”
And exactly a year and a day prior to Sunday’s missed opportunity, Smith-Schuster similarly was brought to tears when he fumbled late in a 31-28 loss to the New Orleans Saints.
Like that Week 16 road defeat, the Jets loss also sent the Steelers’ playoff fate out of their hands and into that of others.
Despite how hard Smith-Schuster was taking his role in Sunday’s loss, teammates had his back.
“There’s a whole lot of different plays that could have been made throughout the game,” safety Terrell Edmunds said.
“I don’t think he should blame it all on himself.”
Said tight end Nick Vannett: “Great players, they really take it to heart in those situations. But was that his fault? Absolutely not.”
What perhaps made Sunday harder to swallow for Smith-Schuster was it was his first game in more than a month since he suffered a concussion and knee injury during a loss at Cleveland on Nov. 13.
“JuJu is always tough on himself. He’s a competitor,” veteran guard David DeCastro said. “I love playing with JuJu. It was a tough play to make from my vantage point.”
What also might have contributed to Smith-Schuster’s glum mood was he has just 10 catches for 93 yards over his past four games he’s played. For perspective, Smith-Schuster had three individual games last season in which he had more receptions and eight in which he had more yards.
Smith-Schuster’s season struggles, though, all could have melted away had he made that catch late Sunday.
“I make that catch. I go into the end zone. We score. That’s it,” Smith-Schuster said. “At the end of the day, the game’s on me. That’s my fault. Sorry, everybody.”
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Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.
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