Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown will not play Sunday evening against the Denver Broncos because of a concussion that he suffered in the AFC Wild Card game. Brown was downgraded to out Friday on the team’s injury report.
Brown, who hasn’t practiced since being hit in the head by Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict late Saturday night, hasn’t missed a game since the 2012 season. During the regular season, Brown caught 136 passes for 1,834 yards and 10 touchdowns.
After the game, Brown was accused of “flopping” by Bengals cornerback Adam Jones, who later said the wide receiver “deserved a Grammy” for his performance.
With their top wide receiver out, the Steelers will certainly need Markus Wheaton, Martavis Bryant and Darrius Heyward-Bey to all step up against the Broncos. With Brown now ruled out, we can also expect rookie Sammie Coates to dress Sunday in Denver.
Wheaton will now return punts in Brown’s absence.
If you want to read more about the concussion protocol and why our very own Melanie Friedlander thought Brown might be able to play on Sunday, read below.
