Emmanuel Sanders set to play next week
Alfonzo Dennard (37) breaks up a pass intended for Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders (88) during the third quarter at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
Pittsburgh Steelers star wide receiver Antonio Brown definitely deserves major plaudits for his dominance out there, as he’s a legitimate, elite receiver in this league. Brown has been having a fantastic season, but wide receivers also work best in pairs. The Steelers quite honestly have one of the best pairs in the league, as Emmanuel Sanders does a nice job of alleviating pressure off of Brown in the passing game. There’s a reason why Ben Roethlisberger was adamant that the Steelers shouldn’t allow Sanders to slip to the New England Patriots, and the Steelers were wise in keeping their No. 2 wideout. He isn’t nearly as good as Brown, but he’s a solid receiver who has possession and speed qualities to him, along with the ability to line up just about anywhere on the field.
Sanders left last week’s win over the Detroit Lions with a right foot injury, but he recently stated that the injury wasn’t serious and wouldn’t even require an MRI (even for precautionary reasons). That was definitely a bit of great news, and it sounds like there is little chance of Sanders’s second quarter injury costing him any games.
According to ESPN NFL Nation’s Scott Brown, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin stated that Sanders will have limited practice sessions this week (essentially meaningless, since players only need limited sessions anyway) and “is encouraged” that Sanders will play this week. Since Sanders implied that the Steelers doctors held him out for the rest of the game as a precaution, we should fully expect him to be out there for next week’s key rivalry game against the Cleveland Browns. Every game counts big-time for the Steelers here on out, but that’s especially true for division games. With Joe Haden set to be preoccupied with Antonio Brown, there’s a good chance that Sanders averages more than his 50 yards per game this season. He’s a good receiver with a chance for a big day against Cleveland.