PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers laughed along with Martavis Bryant a week ago as the talented but erratic wide receiver downplayed reports he requested a trade.

It’s not quite so funny anymore.

Bryant stayed home on Monday with an illness. The timing looked considerably curious after Bryant defended himself on social media and took a shot at rookie teammate JuJu Smith-Schuster following another ineffective performance in an otherwise dominant victory over Cincinnati.

Bryant was limited to one carry for 2 yards and one reception for 3 yards while splitting snaps with Smith-Schuster in Pittsburgh’s 29-14 victory. Seven games into his return from a yearlong suspension, Bryant has 18 receptions for 234 yards and a score, well off the numbers he posted while becoming one of the NFL’s premier big-play threats in 2014 and 2015.

After an Instagram user claimed Bryant was being ignored by Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, Bryant posted — and then promptly deleted — from his verified account a comment in which he claimed Smith-Schuster is “no where near better than me.”

Bryant amended it later to call Smith-Schuster a “great talent” while adding “I just wants mine period point blank.”

Smith-Schuster, who scored his third touchdown of the season on a 31-yard catch-and-run in the second quarter against the Bengals, said he spoke to Bryant and didn’t take Bryant’s frustrations personally.

“I understand where he’s coming from,” Smith-Schuster said. “There’s only one ball and so many athletes on the field. It’s tough.”

At 20, Smith-Schuster is the youngest player in the league. Yet he’s played long enough to understand the careful balance of egos involved.

“Hopefully we do get him the ball more, we do feed him,” Smith-Schuster said. “He’s a great athlete. “