So the focus turns toward not letting two Steelers gash them for huge gains, and no one collects yardage — and points — in bigger chunks than Antonio Brown, a four-time Pro Bowler and, according to Adam Jones, a player who eventually will the most coveted clothing in the game.
“He’s going to wear a gold jacket soon,” Jones said. “In my book, it’s A.J (Green)., Brown, then a couple more guys — the kid from New York has moved up a lot, Odell. But those are the top tier guys in the league. I know we’ll be eager for the challenge. I won’t get into the game plan and tell you all that, but (defensive coordinator Paul Guenther) always has something up his sleeve that’s a good game plan.”
The game plans have been effective of late, with the Bengals keeping Brown out of the end zone in their last three meetings while limiting him to average of six catches for 81.7 yards. That’s not shutdown stuff, but it’s exactly what Guenther has in mind when designing his defensive game plan for Pittsburgh.
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“You obviously want to limit the big plays,” safety George Iloka said. “You don’t want any deep bombs. If he leaves the game with like 10 catches and 60 to 70 yards and no touchdowns, then that’s a decent job as a secondary in terms of how much he affected the game. But you give up 150, a touchdown or two, one deep ball for like 60, then that’s going to hurt you. So you just want to limit the yards.”
Of course another common thread in those last three games was the absence of Bell, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the Week 7 meeting last year.
When Bell has been in the backfield, Brown’s numbers have been significantly higher. In the two games before Bell’s injury, Brown topped 100 yards both times with nine catches for 117 yards in a 42-21 win at Cincinnati in Week 14 of 2o14, and seven receptions for 128 yards and a touchdown in the division-clinching 27-17 triumph in Pittsburgh in the season finale (along with a punt return touchdown).
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