The Pittsburgh Steelers face the number one defense in the NFL, the Denver Broncos, this upcoming Sunday in the divisional round of the playoffs, and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is "very likely" to play despite suffering a shoulder injury on wild card weekend, according to ESPN's Bob Holtzman. While the Steelers are likely to have their franchise quarterback on the field Sunday, it's reportedly "not looking good" for star wide receiver Antonio Brown.
Brown suffered a concussion after taking a vicious hit to the head from Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict, and is currently in the NFL's concussion protocol. The NFL has just announced that Burfict will be suspended for the first three games of the 2016 season after repeated violations of player safety rules. Burfict is one of the best at his position in the league but often steps over the line, and many were upset following his hits both on Brown and Roethlisberger on Saturday night.
The hit on Roethlisberger was completely legal, but the Steelers quarterback has made is known in the past that he believes Burfict is a dirty player, especially following their game in December when the Bengals linebacker hit him low. The Bengals season has come to an end, and Pittsburgh will now focus on their next opponent in the Broncos.
The Steelers were able to pull out the win at home over the Broncos during the regular season, but Brown was a huge factor for the Steelers in that matchup. The Steelers star wide receiver caught 19 passes for 189 yards and scored two touchdowns. The Steelers are clearly a better team when both players are on the field, and head coach Mike Tomlin will look for wide receivers Martavis Bryant and Markus Wheaton to step up if Brown isn't cleared in time for Sunday's anticipated playoff matchup.
