For Pittsburgh Steelers corner Donte Jackson, it was a taste of what greatness looks like. And a feeling of what it’s like to be on the wrong side of a highlight. For every great play WR Antonio Brown made, and there was an endless amount, some poor cornerback had to re-watch that play 20 times the rest of the season. Jackson was one of those victims, toasted by Brown his rookie season while a member of the Carolina Panthers.
Jackson hasn’t forgotten the play. Or the feeling.
“I know we got smacked,” Jackson said on the Irish Steelers Podcast. “That game was actually on my 22nd birthday. I had to go and guard Antonio Brown all game, so, you know, I didn’t get any sleep the night before that game. With Big Ben and AB, they terrorized the league for so long. I’m a rookie and they tell me like, ‘You got number 84.’ I’m just like, ‘Nah, that’s Antonio Brown. You’re saying ’84 like it’s just some regular guy.'”
There are “nameless, gray faces.” Then there is Antonio Brown. In a 2018 primetime game at Heinz Field, the Steelers blew out the Panthers, 52-21. Brown helped make it a laugher, catching a 53-yard score over Jackson late in the third quarter, putting Pittsburgh ahead 31-14.
A play probably etched in Jackson’s mind but here’s a reminder for everyone else. Ben Roethlisberger seeing the one-on-one coverage, putting the ball on the sideline. Brown stepping away from a falling Jackson to make the grab and trot into the end zone.
“I was a huge fan of Big Ben, “Jackson said. “Huge, huge fan of Antonio Brown at the time…it was definitely a bittersweet moment for a young corner to come in there. It wasn’t a night to remember, I’ll tell you that much.”
If it’s any consolation, Brown torched all corners. Good ones, bad ones, rookies, and vets. He finished 2018 with 104 receptions for 1,297 yards and a league-leading 15 touchdowns despite missing a game. Now playing for the Steelers instead of against them, Jackson will try to avoid those types of moments in 2024.
