Even though Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver leads the team and entire NFL in receptions through the first 15 weeks of the season quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has still managed to do a great of spreading the football around to other players. In fact, the Steelers are currently the only NFL team in 2017 to have five different players with at least 40 catches each, according to Dom Rinelli, the team’s PR and media manager.
This year however isn’t the first time during his career that Roethlisberger and the Steelers have had five different players register 40 or more receptions during a regular season as the feat was also previously accomplished during the 2008, 2013 and 2015 seasons.
According to my research, the Steelers have never had five different players register 50 or more receptions during a regular season and with Brown now presumably sidelined for the team’s final two games with a calf injury, there’s a chance wide receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster, Martavis Bryant and tight end Jesse James can all ultimately hit the 50 reception mark. If that ultimately happens, they might just become the first NFL team to ever accomplish that.
“I will be honest, you can’t replace him with one man,” said Roethlisberger of the loss of Brown on Wednesday. “AB is not human. We will have multiple guys trying to fill that spot. We have guys that are excited, willing to try and fill those shoes. I think Justin (Hunter) is going to be one, Martavis (Bryant) will do some stuff, and JuJu (Smith-Schuster). Everyone really is going to have to step their game up, that includes me. I am going to have to be better.”
