The Denver Broncos defense caught a big break and Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones better get his apology shoes ready, as the Pittsburgh Steelers announced Friday that game-breaking wide receiver Anotnio Brown has been ruled out of this weekend's divisional NFL playoff matchup.
Brown was injured during this past weekend's game against the Bengals after taking a vicious helmet-to-helmet hit by linebacker Vontaze Burfict. Burfict has since been suspended three games for his actions during that game, which included the hit on Brown and a knee to Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who Burfict also injured. After the game, Jones suggested that Brown was faking - this seems a great distance to go to keep up the charade.
Roethlisberger was able to return to the game and put the winning points on the board, but his status for this weekend is also in question, though reports have suggested that he'll be able to fight through the torn ligaments in his shoulder and suit up.
As for Brown, his injury is a serious blow to the Steelers' playoff hopes. As James Palmer of NFL Network notes, Brown had 16 receptions for 189 yards and two touchdowns the last time the Steelers and Broncos met in week 15.
That amounts to the most receptions and receiving yards posted against the vaunted Broncos defense, the league's No. 1 defense during the regular season, this year.
