Antonio Brown will sit out the Steelers' divisional playoff game against the Broncos Sunday due to the effects of the concussion he suffered last weekend.
The team made the announcement Friday morning. The All-Pro receiver hasn't practiced all week after taking a brutal hit to the head in the final minute of Saturday's 18-16 comeback win over the Bengals.
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The play has been under discussion ever since, with Cincinnati cornerback Adam Jones accusing Brown of faking concussion symptoms to draw a penalty on Vontaze Burfict, who delivered the hit.
Burfict's 15-yard penalty and a subsequent 15-yarder assessed to Jones for going after Steelers assistant coach Joey Porter set Pittsburgh up for the game-winning 35-yard field goal.
Brown is the centerpiece of the Steelers' offense, catching 136 passes for 1,834 yards and 10 touchdowns in the regular season. He added seven more for 119 yards last weekend. In his absence, Martavis Bryant will take on the starring role, with Markus Wheaton, Darius Heyward-Bey and possibly rookie Sammie Coates (one catch this season) set for an increase in targets.
Who will deliver them the ball, and how effectively, remains to be seen. Ben Roethlisberger has been limited in practice this week with what he has described as torn ligaments in his throwing shoulder. He is expected to play Sunday, but barely threw the ball past the line of scrimmage Sunday after returning to the game for the final drive.
If Roethlisberger can't go or is ineffective, backup Landry Jones would step back in for the Steelers.
