Pittsburgh Steelers

Antonio Brown Reminds Us He's Mortal (Video)

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

Antonio Brown is the best wide receiver in the NFL. This is true. He’s a mere mortal. This is also true.

It’s incredible watching Antonio Brown play, because it doesn’t matter how good the opposition’s coverage is. We’ve seen everyone harp on Washington Redskins cornerback Bashaud Breeland, and many unfairly believe that he’s an inferior player, solely on the basis of the whipping Brown served him last Monday.

The truth is that Brown is uncoverable, and he will leave any cornerback embarrassed in his wake. Just ask Chris Harris Jr., who is seen by some analysts as the best in the business.

But for as dominant as Brown is game-in and game-out, there are moments when we are reminded that, yes, even he is a mere mortal.

Wide open.
And AB dropped it.

Fantasy owners everywhere: ???? #CINvsPIT https://t.co/4HScCGwzq4

— NFL (@NFL) September 18, 2016

Kenny Stills’s drop is still the worst of the 2016 season so far, but this was a disappointing moment for Steelers fans. On 3rd-and-10, Ben Roethlisberger somehow stays on his feet to keep the play alive, notices Brown wide open over the middle of the field, and wobbles a pass that just has enough on it to get to Brown.

We’ve seen Brown make so many more difficult plays than this, but he just couldn’t hang on to it. Maybe he was thinking too much about the pass, because Adam Jones did look ready to try and deliver a hard hit on the Steelers wide receiver.

He dropped it, life goes on, he’s still the best, and the Cincinnati Bengals probably won’t get a last laugh; they simply avoided potential embarrassment on this play.

Right now, the Steelers are up 10-3, even though it has been a frustrating day for Roethlisberger, who has two interceptions on his record and is just 9-for-21. Brown has been a non-factor with just one catch for 16 yards on four targets, and that stat line is more disheartening than any third-down drop.