Smith-Schuster clears concussion protocol, still dealing with knee injury

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster has cleared the concussion protocol, but he's still recovering from a knee injury, the team announced Wednesday.

Smith-Schuster, who missed last week's matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, was absent during Wednesday's practice.

Running back James Conner also didn't practice on Wednesday while continuing to heal from a shoulder issue. The third-year back has missed three of Pittsburgh's past four contests.

Despite being without Smith-Schuster and Conner, Pittsburgh found a way to beat the Bengals 16-10 in Week 12, jumping into the AFC playoff picture as the sixth seed.

The 6-5 Steelers, who will start Devlin Hodges at quarterback instead of Mason Rudolph in Week 13, will play the Cleveland Browns on Sunday in a much-anticipated meeting following the Week 11 game-ending brawl.