The Steelers offense opened the day without Markus Wheaton and they lost Sammie Coates on one of the first plays, but Antonio Brown was still around so they were OK at wide receiver.
It looks like they might have lost him for at least the rest of Sunday as well, however. Brown went to the locker room in the final minute of the third quarter after getting his leg checked out by members of the training staff on the sideline, but returned on the first play of the fourth quarter.
The Steelers couldn’t convert a third down before kicking a field goal and Brown has not returned to the game since that point. The field goal pulled the Steelers to within 20-16 of the Patriots, but a 37-yard pass to Rob Gronkowski set up a LeGarrette Blount touchdown run and New England extended the lead to 27-16.
The Steelers went three and out quickly, but got the ball back when Julian Edelman fumbled on a punt return. Chris Boswell wound up missing a 54-yard field goal, however. It was Boswell’s second miss of the game and the sixth time in seven trips into New England territory that they’ve come away without a touchdown.
UPDATE 7:11 p.m. ET: Brown returned to the game with a little more than six minutes to play. He has a noticeable limp as he moves around the field, but did add his seventh catch of the game before a Steelers punt.