Antonio Brown gets Steelers on board 50-yard TD (Video)

Deferring on the opening kickoff did not work out for the Miami Dolphins. The Pittsburgh Steelers score first on a 50-yard touchdown from Antonio Brown.

It had been a long eight years since the Miami Dolphins last played in an AFC playoff game. On their first defensive possession, the rust clearly showed. The Dolphins defense gave up 85 yards on five plays, including a dynamic 50-yard touchdown from Steelers star wide receiver Antonio Brown.

Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger would hit Brown to his left in the flats. Brown would find a bit of daylight near the sidelines, shaking a few would-be tacklers. Two bad tackling attempts allowed him to take it to the house for six to get Pittsburgh on the board first.

That was not a good first defensive series for the Dolphins. Miami had deferred the opening kickoff to hopefully set the tone with defense in this AFC Wild Card game. The Dolphins do have a potential head coaching candidate in defensive coordinator Vance Joseph. However, he cannot be pleased with how affected by the cold his team was on that series in terms of tackling.

Pittsburgh was an overwhelming favorite entering the game. Getting a touchdown on its first offensive possession is huge for the Steelers going forward. They used running back Le’Veon Bell to open up the pass from Roethlisberger to Brown on that impressive drive.

must read: 30 Best NFL Receivers of All-Time

With it being sub-freezing in Pittsburgh, expect both Roethlisbeger and Dolphins quarterback Matt Moore to work the short-to-medium passing game to open up some coveted running lanes. Miami needs to shake off the playoff jitters here soon to avoid falling into a deep hole on the road against Pittsburgh. A conservative, well-executed offensive game plan will serve Pittsburgh on Sunday afternoon.