JuJu Smith-Schuster Injury Makes Emergence of Diontae Johnson All the More Important for Steelers

Looking to keep pace in the AFC playoff race, the Pittsburgh Steelers will need all hands on neck for their clash against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night.

That, however, won't be the case as star wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster has been ruled out for the fourth consecutive game after reportedly aggravating his knee injury at practice on Thursday.

Luckily for the Steelers, their offense hasn't skipped a beat over the last month as the emergence of rookie WR Diontae Johnson has provided an indispensable spark.

We're not saying that the 2019 third-round pick (No.66 overall) has emerged as a clearcut No.1 receiver just yet, but his elusiveness after the catch is up there with some of the greatest wideout talents in the NFL. Look no further than his electric punt return versus the Cardinals in Week 14.

Johnson's role has expanded each week that JuJu (and James Conner) have been out of commission, and during that stretch he's proven to be Pittsburgh's most important and reliable offensive weapon.

Seriously, how many players in the NFL could have turned that broken play into a first down and near touchdown? We'd probably only need one hand for the final count.

The Toledo product will have his work cut out for him against star cornerback TreDavious White and the Bills defense, but it would be foolish not to presume that he'll pop off the screen on a few occasions.