The Pittsburgh Steelers might not have their quarterback this Sunday against the New England Patriots, but they still have one of the most explosive offensive weapons at their helm.
Or, do they?
Wide receiver Antonio Brown is a threat to NFL defenses everywhere. However, consistency isn’t on his side this season and he hasn’t been able to put up similar numbers to last season, which was his best year since donning a Steelers uniform.
Brown has five touchdowns to his nam heading into Sunday’s tilt with the Patriots and only has 486 receiving yards on 41 receptions thus far. (He’s also rushed the ball once this season for a meager six yards.)
Brown had a stellar Week 1 opening game against Washington, where he recorded eight receptions for 158 yards and two touchdowns. But he then fell into a funk in the next two weeks’ games against the Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles. He had no touchdown catches and, against the Bengals, he only racked up 39 yards on four receptions.
Then came Week 4, when Brown seemingly revived himself. He helped shock the Kansas City Chiefs with two touchdowns while only recording 64 yards on four receptions. The next week, against the New York Jets, Brown caught a touchdown and recorded 78 yards on nine receptions.
But against the Miami Dolphins, Brown was absent, falling into what seems like another funk. He was shut down by Miami’s cornerbacks, Byron Maxwell and Xavien Howard, and by safeties Isa Abdul-Quddus and Reshad Jones. Brown, just like he did against the Bengals, only recorded 39 yards on four receptions and no touchdowns.
So what gives with Brown’s lack of consistency? Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is targeting other receivers — like wide receivers Sammie Coates, Darrius Heyward-Bey and Markus Wheaton and tight end Jesse James — but is trying to look for Brown. The problem? Brown, an explosive player in the NFL, is normally always double-covered. While fans have seen Roethlisberger connect with Brown in traffic in surprising (and exciting) moments, it’s not always the safest bet.
Brown is even more limited this week. Backup quarterback Landry Jones has taken the second team reps all season and during Steelers’ training camp. With that, he’s been working closely with receivers like Coates and Eli Rogers. Meanwhile, Brown was with Roethlisberger taking first-team snaps. But now, Jones is at Pittsburgh’s helm for the foreseeable future — and the chemistry between Jones and Brown might just not be there.
While the two were paired together when Roethlisberger (and Michael Vick) was injured last season, their bond certainly isn’t as strong as the connection between Brown and Roethlisberger.
The Steelers take on the Patriots on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. EDT. If the Steelers have any chance to defeat the Patriots, Pittsburgh’s defense will have to be in near-perfect form and Brown can’t let his funk go on for another week.
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