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Heading into the playoffs, there still remain many questions about the availability of All-Pro wide receiver Antonio Brown of the Pittsburgh Steelers for the divisional round.
According to Gerry Dulac of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, head coach Mike Tomlin stated on Tuesday morning that Brown's rehab from a partially torn calf muscle that he suffered in Week 15 against the New England Patriots.
Mike Tomlin said he saw Antonio Brown today and said his progress is "going well." Said if Steelers were playing this week he would be questionable.
— Gerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) January 2, 2018
The original timetable for recovery from the injury for Brown was set for around two to four weeks, which would put him in line to possibly take the field in the playoffs. Tomlin did add that the 29-year-old would have been listed as questionable for the wild-card round had the Steelers played this week.
Brown has put together another highly productive campaign that earned him some recognition to being considered in the NFL MVP award conversation. He had become the first receiver in league history to post five consecutive seasons with at least 100 receptions, effective breaking a tie with Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison.
If he's unable to give it a go, the Steelers will likely lean more heavily upon Le'Veon Bell in both the running and passing game. Meanwhile, rookie JuJu Smith-Schuster could see an increased involvement as the primary receiving target. The 21-year-old put up another huge performance in the regular season finale against the Cleveland Browns making nine catches for 143 receiving yards and a touchdown. It also marked his third 100 receiving yard outing of the season.
