The Pittsburgh Steelers will likely have Ben Roethlisberger playing on Sunday against the Denver Broncos, but it’s not looking good for Antonio Brown
The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered two huge injuries on Saturday during their 18-16 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had to leave the game, but later returned for the final drive as he got his team into field goal range with the help of Vontaze Burfict and Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones. Wide receiver Antonio Brown suffered a horrible hit to the head by Burfict and had to be helped off the field. He is currently undergoing concussion protocol.
While the Steelers remain optimistic about Roethlisberger’s chances of playing on Sunday, they are not optimistic of Antonio Brown’s chances of playing.
Sources tell me "very likely" Ben Roethlisberger (shoulder) plays Sunday at Denver, but "not looking good" for Antonio Brown (concussion).
— bob holtzman (@Bob_Holtzman) January 12, 2016
Roethlisberger is an extremely tough quarterback who is perhaps most famous for playing while injured and still having success. Having him in the lineup is huge for the Steelers because he is the leader of their offense. Without Ben, the Steelers likely wouldn’t have a chance against the Broncos.
Antonio Brown is a significant loss for the Steelers if he can’t play. He had 136 receptions during the regular season for 1,834 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. Martavis Bryant and Markus Wheaton both had over 700 receiving yards this season. However, both of them had a lot of success this season because of the attention that Brown gets from opposing defenses.
Should he be unable to play, look for Darrius Heyward-Bey to get more snaps as the Steelers try to open things up for Bryant and Wheaton. Also look for them to go to Heath Miller early and often.