NFL Spin Zone
Fansided

Pittsburgh Steelers: Antonio Brown is NFL Spin Zone Player of the Week

By Kevin Parvizi

facebooktwitterreddit

All eyes were on Carolina Panthers cornerback Josh Norman and New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., but the more decisive wide receiver vs. cornerback battle was between Pittsburgh Steelers star Antonio Brown and Denver Broncos shutdown corner Chris Harris Jr.

At this point, there can be absolutely no doubt in anybody’s mind that Pittsburgh Steelers sixth-year wide receiver Antonio Brown is the best in the business, and I’m sure he has more fans after Beckham Jr.’s Week 15 antics against the Panthers. While neither Norman nor Beckham lived up to their respective billings on Sunday, Brown treated fans with a performance for the ages against one of the NFL’s best CBs.

ALSO ON SPIN ZONE: How many Steelers are among the best defensive players ever?

Facing the NFL’s best pass defense, Brown caught 16 passes for 189 yards on 18 targets, including two touchdowns, in a massive 34-27 victory for a Steelers team that is starting to look more and more likely to crash the Super Bowl party. The Broncos knew that Ben Roethlisberger was going to repeatedly target Brown, and even though Harris did everything he could to keep Brown under wraps, arguably the league’s best and most versatile pure cover corner could do nothing to stop him.

More from NFL Spin Zone

As we saw in Week 1 when Brown undressed New England Patriots rising star Malcolm Butler, who would later shut down Beckham Jr., the 27-year-old Central Michigan product is simply uncoverable. Whether it’s catching a jaw-dropping 88.9% of his targets against a pass defense that came into the game allowing the least yards per attempt or notching his ninth TD catch of the season, Brown wins in just about every way possible.

Dec 20, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown (84) celebrates his touchdown against the Denver Broncos during the second half at Heinz Field. The Steelers won the game, 34-27. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

Players like Brown and Sammy Watkins are a reminder that wide receivers under 6’0″ can dominate at the catch point and can be dynamic No. 1 weapons for an offense. The Steelers have other stars like Martavis Bryant and DeAngelo Williams, and even No. 3 receiver Markus Wheaton chipped in yet another productive game. However, Brown elevates everyone around him, and his legendary and clutch performance against Denver is further conformation that he is the gold standard at the most talented position in football.

Next: What were the greatest teams in NFL history?

There were other players who had standout Week 15s, but nobody put forth as dominant of a performance in as critical of a spot as Brown did. It’s almost an injustice to sum up his game in words, because putting up 10.5 yards per target on 18 targets against any opponent is an all-time great feat. But to do it against an all-time great pass defense as the clear-cut No. 1 option? Now that’s the sort of display only a first-ballot Hall of Famer is capable of.

Home/Pittsburgh Steelers