CINCINNATI, OHIO – NOVEMBER 29: Vonn Bell #24 of the Cincinnati Bengals on the field in the game against the New York Giants at Paul Brown Stadium on November 29, 2020 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
The Bengals had a clever troll up their sleeve for JuJu Smith-Schuster.
Yep, the Bengals Twitter account was sitting on this one, just in case. Earlier in the week, Vonn Bell warned Smith-Schuster not to dance on the Cincinnati Bengals’ logo pregame. Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, that did not work. Smith-Schuster danced on the logo, and emphatically stated that no opposing team should tell him what to do.
Credit to JuJu for keeping his word, but at the moment the Steelers aren’t backing it up, especially on offense. Smith-Schuster had a costly fumble at the end of the first quarter, as he was blasted by Bell. While the play was called incomplete on the field, upon further review, JuJu completed the process of a catch and fumbled the ball. The Bengals made a clear recovery.
Is Smith-Schuster selfish for continuing his pregame ritual?
That’s not necessarily a fair conclusion to reach. Smith-Schuster’s been doing this all season. No one commented when Pittsburgh was 11-0. Yet, after two straight losses and perhaps another on the way, it’s a distraction.
Smith-Schuster has long been a viral sensation, and one many of the old guard is Pittsburgh media fail to understand. Entering free agency after this season, there’s a chance the high volume of dissent towards him could impact the team’s decision on whether to bring back on of Big Ben’s favorite targets.