Martavis Bryant will face biggest challenge if Antonio Brown misses time
Martavis Bryant resoundingly responded to the challenge his quarterback issued to him last week, to toughen up in the postseason and make the critical catches.
Now the challenge might get even greater for Bryant and the rest of his fellow Pittsburgh Steelers wide receivers this week with star Antonio Brown in the concussion protocol following a brutal hit he took on the second-to-last play of the Steelers’ 18-16 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday night.
Brown will have to clear the protocol, which includes passing a series of tests and gaining approval of an independent neurologist, in order to play Sunday against the Denver Broncos. Brown had 16 catches for 189 yards and two touchdowns in the Steelers’ 34-27 win over the Broncos in December.
“We’ve got a lot of great receivers on this team, so everybody is going to have to step up if he can’t go. But I promise you, he’ll be ready to go,” Bryant told Paste BN Sports.
Bryant established himself early against the Bengals with a key 44-yard gain that helped set up a first-half field goal. But his biggest contribtution was a how-did-he-catch-that-touchdown grab in which he reached through his legs to pin the ball to the back of his upper thigh as he tumbled out of bounds. The score put the Steelers up 15-0 in the third quarter.
Though the Steelers have to be encouraged by the way Bryant reacted to some tough love from Ben Roethlisberger, did the wide receiver do enough to convince them he could be a No. 1 target should the Steelers have to play without Brown?
Few teams are as reliant on their No. 1 receiver as the Steelers are on Brown, who can line up all over the field and rarely takes a snap off. It has provided the rest of the wide receivers with a simple task: Keep running routes and catch the ball when it doesn't go to Brown.
“It's hard to be a receiver in this league when you may only see three or four balls a game. But those will be critical, critical catches that need to be made. That's not for everybody, so I think that's a testament to the group we have,” offensive coordinator Todd Haley told Paste BN Sports.
Bryant and third-year receiver Markus Wheaton don’t know anything different from the existing formula. Darrius Heyward-Bey, though, is a former first-round pick and No. 1 receiver for the Oakland Raiders and said it takes a very team-first mindset to play in that sort of scenario.
“You understand that hey, they’re going to double-team him, triple-team him, so when they do throw the ball your way, you better catch it,” Heyward-Bey said. “As a receiver you’d like to have a quick hitch or something to get into rhythm, and it might not happen, so you better be ready to go. Ben does a good job of keeping us involved in practice, so you know mentally, the ball could come at any time. You’ve got to be mentally sharp. For our offense, it’s all about being mentally sharp.”
It’s far different than being the receiver like Brown who consistently draws the opponent’s top cornerback as well as extra help. The Broncos likely will play man coverage against the Steelers’ receivers, daring Bryant, Wheaton and Heyward-Bey to beat them one-on-one, should Brown be left out of the game plan.
“They better be ready,” defensive end Cam Heyward said. “It's time to step up. It's the playoffs. We don't have time to teach.”
Follow Lindsay H. Jones on Twitter @bylindsayhjones.
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