It appears the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns will be without their top receivers for Monday night’s matchup. While WR Diontae Johnson has already been ruled out, the Browns are likely to miss WR Amari Cooper. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Cooper is “unlikely” to play after aggravating a groin injury Saturday.
Cooper was listed as questionable on the team’s final injury report. But it seems the Browns will give him a full week to recover.
In the team’s Week One win over the Cincinnati Bengals, Cooper caught three passes for 37 yards on seven targets. Last season, he finished with 78 receptions for 1,160 yards and nine touchdowns. In two meetings against the Steelers, he caught nine passes for 152 yards and one touchdown, including a 101-yard performance in a Week Three victory.
With Cooper out, the Browns top receivers will be Elijah Moore, rookie Cedric Tillman, and Donovan Peoples-Jones. They also have TE David Njoku and a healthy dose of the run game, led by Nick Chubb.
Moore was the Browns’ leading receiver in the opener, finishing with three catches for 43 yards. He also had two rushes for 19 yards. Bad weather and a healthy lead allowed Cleveland to focus on the ground game, running the ball 40 times for 206 yards.
Pittsburgh and Cleveland kickoff tomorrow night at 8:15 PM/EST.
