Steelers offense putting on show
Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown (84) has 116 receptions for 1,586 yards and is on pace to break the NFL record in both categories. (AP Photo/Don Wright, File)
Wide receivers Antonio Brown (84) and Darrius Heyward-Bey are looking to help keep the Steelers’ offense on track Sunday against the AFC North Division rival Ravens.
In quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s starts this season, the Steelers are averaging 30.2 points per game and 336 yards passing.
PITTSBURGH – Ask the Steelers’ Antonio Brown which receiver he looked up to the most when he was growing up and he’ll tell you former Indianapolis star Marvin Harrison.
It makes sense since the 27-year-old Brown was just entering his teenage years when Harrison was putting up record-setting seasons in the early 2000s.
That’s why it is fitting that Brown’s production has topped the best three-year stretch of Harrison’s career, which happened to be the best stretch in NFL history before Brown came along.
Heading into Sunday’s game at Baltimore (4-10), Brown has 355 receptions over the past three years, topping Harrison’s 354 catches from 2000 to 2002. And Brown and the Steelers (9-5) still have two games to play.
Just think what Brown might have accomplished this season if quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hadn’t missed four full games.
In the 10 games in which Roethlisberger did play, Brown caught 95 passes for 1,229 yards and nine touchdowns.
Extrapolated over the course of a 16-game season, Brown would be on pace for 152 receptions for 2,030 yards and 14 scores. The reception and yardage totals would shatter the NFL record in both categories.
Brown is on pace to finish with one of the best seasons by a receiver in NFL history.
It’s one of many points about the strength of the Steelers offense.
Brown enters Sunday’s game against the Ravens with 116 receptions for 1,586 yards and is the key member of a Steelers receiving corps NFL analyst Ron Jaworski favorably compared to The Greatest Show on Turf teams the Rams fielded in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
“The Greatest Show on Turf,” Jaworski said on his weekly appearance on ESPN’s Mike & Mike show. “That’s the first thing that jumps out at me. It is a fun offense to watch.”
The Steelers weren’t necessarily ready to accept that comparison.
“We play on grass,” deadpanned quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
“I’m not old enough to remember that team,” said 24-year-old wide receiver Martavis Bryant.
“I don’t know. Didn’t those guys win a Super Bowl?” Brown asked. “That’s a good comparison, but we’ve still got a lot to prove.”
Despite winning the AFC North title last season, the Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since 2010. They’d like to accomplish that this year and see if they can get to another Super Bowl behind their offensive firepower as the Rams did in 1999.
In Roethlisberger’s starts, the Steelers are averaging 30.2 points per game and 336 yards passing. The Kurt Warner-led Rams teams went to two Super Bowls in three years, winning one, and averaged more than 30 points per game each season.
“That was an awesome offensive football team,” Roethlisberger said of the Rams. “They were a lot of fun to watch. We’re not trying to be them. We’re just trying to be the best we can be.”
The best that they can be has been pretty good thus far. The Steelers can clinch a spot in the AFC playoffs with a win and loss by the New York Jets Sunday.
“They’re just looking for big plays,” said Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh. “They’re driving the ball down the field in one shot, and Ben is one of the best ever at doing that. And then they’ve got weapons everywhere, at every single position.”
Perhaps there is no comparison. The Steelers don’t think there should be until they win a Super Bowl with this group. Until then, they’re just a pretty good offense.
One thing they’ll need to prove is that their offense can play well on the road. In Roethlisberger’s six home games, he has 16 touchdown passes. In four road starts, he has thrown for two touchdowns.
“We’ve done a great job of playing good at home,” said Brown. “We’ve got to be able to take the show on the road.”
Odds and end zones
Roethlisberger was named FedEx Air player of the week for the third time this season after his 380-yard, three-touchdown performance against Denver last week. … Safety Mike Mitchell (shoulder) returned to practice Thursday after sitting out Wednesday. … Tight end Matt Spaeth (knee) was given the day off Thursday.