The frustrations of wide receiver Antonio Brown were one of the storylines from a drama-filled opening month for the Steelers and he capped the first quarter of the season with five catches for 62 yards and a touchdown in a loss to the Ravens.
Just one of those catches came after halftime of a game that was tied 14-14 at the break and the Ravens would score the only 12 points of the second half on their way to the win. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger took the blame for the offensive flameout and said after the game that he’s not on the “same page” with anyone right now.
Head coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that he remains confident that “the cream rises” over the course of a long season and that will wind up applying to Brown as well.
“We missed some opportunities in that game no doubt, particularly on possession downs,” Tomlin said, via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “I’ve seen that tandem a lot of the years. They’ll smooth it out. They’ll find their rhythm.”
Brown hasn’t lacked opportunities as he’s seen the second-most targets in the league, but he hasn’t done much with them. He’s caught 29 of the 52 balls thrown his way for 272 yards, which works out to under 10 yards a catch and leaves Brown on pace for a career-low in that category.