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ANTONIO BROWN** Wide Receiver
There were several candidates in the 27-17 victory over the Bengals at Heinz Field that clinched the AFC North Division championship for the Steelers, but in the end the most worthy had to be the guy who had the most impact on the scoreboard.
Antonio Brown returned a punt 71 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter to stake the Steelers to a 7-0 lead, and then when it seemed as though the Bengals were on the verge of taking the lead in the final three minutes of the fourth quarter, it again was Brown who got the ball in the end zone for the points that iced the outcome. On that play, Brown escaped the coverage of CB Dre Kirkpatrick to catch the pass, he put a move on SS George Iloka to get himself into the open field, and he finished off the 63-yard run-and-catch that accounted for the final points in the 27-17 victory.
Antonio Brown is the Steelers Digest Player of the Week.
Also considered were Brice McCain, who had two interceptions and three tackles; Antwon Blake, who had seven tackles, including several in run support, plus a forced fumble and a fumble recovery that gave the Steelers the ball on the possession that ended with Brown's second touchdown; Cam Heyward, who had seven tackles, one sack, and one pass batted at the line of scrimmage; Lawrence Timmons, who led the team with 11 tackles; and Ben Roethlisberger, who battled a stomach flu and still completed 24-of-38 for 317 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 96.1
As a side note, Roethlisberger's passing total tied him with Drew Brees for tops in the NFL this season with 4,952.
