I’m not even sure quite frankly if I have dedicated a single film study this season to Antonio Brown, at least for offense. There is a danger of taking him for granted, but sometimes even he finds new ways to remind us that the Pittsburgh Steelers have something special in him. As he did on Sunday night.
It started early and didn’t stop pretty much until the game ended. It was a simple enough opening, running a 10-yard post against Davon House, retaining the inside advantage for an easy 20-yarder to start with.
On the first play of the second quarter, the Steelers facing a third and one, Brown used traffic to help create space from Morgan Burnett trying to follow him across the field, allowing him to pick up two yards and a fresh set of downs.
Later on during the same drive, and again on third down, he took advantage of rookie safety Josh Jones turning his hips to defend deep coverage by breaking inside. Once Ben Roethlisberger found him, he was able to turn and run, transitioning from pass-catcher to runner in a heartbeat, which helped turn it into a 39-yard play.
Following a touchdown a short time later, it was Brown who tied the game with a two-point conversion. Utilizing a Le’Veon Bell pick from out of the slot, he showed a crossing pattern before turning upfield inside of HaHa Clinton-Dix.
Later on, a play that was seemingly overshadowed by so many of the other excellent catches he made was the 11-yard grab at basically max elevation, getting the better of House and holding on to set up first and goal.
He was eventually the one to finish the series off, this time beating rookie Kevin King, using a jab step before running a corner route and completing it with a basket catch for his second score of the game. It’s at this time that I’ll just note he had a 31-yard touchdown that I’m not even looking at in this game. That’s just how good he was.
The one getting the most highlight love, however, is the one that had to go to booth review to confirm. Brown has talked about how much he works on his ability and awareness to stay inbounds near the sideline. At times like these, it pays off.
At some point or another, he got the better of pretty much everybody in the Packers’ secondary, including House, King, Jones, and Clinton-Dix. I’m sure they’re glad to be out of Pittsburgh and away from him.
