JuJu Smith-Schuster's Status in Doubt for Sunday After Exiting Steelers Practice Early

The Pittsburgh Steelers have played much of the season without a pair of their key offensive weapons. James Conner and JuJu Smith-Schuster have both been dealing with the injury bug all year, but the team was hopeful to get the duo back for Week 15.

Both returned to practice this week, but their reunion was abrupt; Smith-Schuster reportedly left Thursday's session early with an apparent injury, putting his status for Sunday up in the air.

Others do expect Smith-Schuster to suit up on Sunday, however, suggesting this early exit was in the cards all along.

JuJu last played in Week 11 against the Browns, though he only partook in 22 snaps before leaving the game with a knee injury and a concussion. He's missed the past three games with his ailments, but the expectation was that he'd be healthy enough to suit up for this weekend's clash with the Bills.

Just when the Steelers thought they'd be getting some much-needed reinforcements on the offensive side of the ball, Smith-Schuster suffered the undisclosed injury.

At 8-5, the Steelers have managed to stay competitive even without the likes of Conner, Smith-Schuster and Ben Roethlisberger. While they thought at least two of those three would be available this weekend, that no longer seems likely to be the case.

It's a must-win matchup against the Bills, which will have major implications on the AFC Wild Card race, and if Smith-Schuster can't suit up (for the fourth straight week) the Steelers will have a much more difficult time moving the ball against a highly rated Bills' defense.