Antonio Brown injury update: Steelers WR expected to play vs. Jaguars
The latest injury update surrounding Antonio Brown sounds promising for the Steelers.
The biggest question hanging over the heads of the Pittsburgh Steelers is the health of All-Pro wide receiver Antonio Brown and how healthy he is. Brown suffered a partially torn left calf muscle in the Week 15 game against the New England Patriots and has been out of action ever since. The bye week was essential for the Steelers because it gave Brown an extra week to recover from the injury.
This week, Brown returned to practice before an illness limited him later in the week. He is not 100 percent, but he is expected to suit up and play, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter who tweeted Brown will test the calf in the pregame and the team will make a decision about his status after that. The belief is he’ll be active and play as much as the team needs him.
Steelers’ WR Antion Brown will test his calf injury pregame Sunday to determine whether he can play. “He is not close to 100%,” said one source. “My guess is he will be active and give it a go.”
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 14, 2018
It was always believed Brown would be active and give it a go, but returning from a torn calf muscle this quickly makes it natural to wonder how effective he will be. What makes Brown the best receiver in the game is his quickness and his ability to run his routes with crisp precision and get in and out of his breaks. He’s the master at that, but if he’s slowed because of the injury, he’ll lose the thing that makes him special.
The good news is CBS’ Jason La Canfora tweeted he expects Brown to not only play but play regularly against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Continue to hear same thing on Antonio Brown as I did earlier today - he'll play and play regularly tomorrow
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) January 14, 2018
The Steelers were blown out 30-9 by the Jaguars in Week 5 so they’ll have revenge on their mind when they take on the upstart AFC South champions. They’ll need Antonio Brown to be Antonio Brown to make plays against the Jaguars lockdown secondary.
Brown had 10 catches for 157 yards in the Week 5 loss, but that came on 19 targets. With Brown likely to be hounded by second-year sensation Jalen Ramsey all game long, it should present one of the best position battles we’ll see in the postseason.
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A final decision on Brown’s status is expected to be revealed about an hour before the 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff.