JuJu Smith-Schuster has only been with the Steelers for about a year and a half, but that's enough time to understand the negativity that surrounds the team when the Steelers aren't playing up to expectation. The second year receiver got his first taste of that negativity after Pittsburgh started the 2017 season with a 3-2 record that included an embarrassing loss at home to the Jacksonville Jaguars. He experienced it again after the Steelers were upset by the Jags in the playoffs. Smith-Schuster and the Steelers are facing criticism yet again after Pittsburgh dropped their last three games and are now in serious jeopardy of missing the playoffs with three games to go in the regular season.

JuJu, who is in the midst of an incredible season from a statistical standpoint (he has 91 catches for 1,234 yards and 6 touchdowns this season), discussed the current negativity surrounding the team with WPXI's Chase Williams.

“If you’re a true #Steelers fan there’s no reason why you should complain” — @TeamJuJu says there’s no reason to panic w/ 3 games left pic.twitter.com/UFLA0Guegq — Chase Williams WPXI (@chasepwilliams) December 12, 2018

“If you’re a true Steelers’ fan, there’s no reason why you should complain and lose faith because deep down inside, if you’re a Steelers’ fan, you’re gonna keep believing in your team," JuJu said. "There’s been situations in these past years where the Steelers haven’t done great and they were able to come out with a W, win, make it to the playoffs, win Super Bowls. You can’t be a fake fan. You can’t only like us when we’re winning. True fans know that."

JuJu is right. The 1995 Steelers rebounded by a 3-4 start to win eight out of their final nine regular season games. In the playoffs, they defeated the Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts to win the franchise's first AFC title since 1979. The 1997 Steelers made it back to the conference title game despite a 1-2 start to the season. The 2001 Steelers were mauled by the Jaguars in their season opener before winning 13 of their final 15 regular season games. The 2002 Steelers won the division after a 1-3 start, while the 2004 Steelers won a franchise best 15 regular season games after losing handily to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2. The 2005 Steelers, after a 7-5 start, famously won their final eight games that included a win over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL.

While Smith-Schuster is right in one regard, Pittsburgh fans certainly have a right to be upset with this team's recent struggles. This is a team that entered the season with serious Super Bowl aspirations, aspirations that were reinforced after Pittsburgh reeled off six consecutive wins to get to 7-2-1. Simply put, fans are going to get upset when their teams lose, particularly teams that boast as much talent as the Steelers, who have eight players on their roster who were selected to last year's Pro Bowl.

The bottom line is that, while it wouldn't cure everything, a win over the Patriots on Sunday would go a long way towards rebuilding the positive vibe that was surrounding this team earlier in the season. That positivity could be enough to help JuJu and his teammates close out the regular season on a high note while securing their place in the 2018 NFL playoffs.