A.J. Brown is on injured reserve and won’t face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2, an enormous break for Pittsburgh against the defending AFC champions. New England loses its best receiver and the one matchup that could’ve dictated Pittsburgh’s coverage plan by itself.
Mike Vrabel isn’t handing Brown’s job to one replacement. The Patriots coach said Brown had aligned at multiple positions, and New England will keep moving receivers through those spots. Vrabel specifically pointed to Mack Hollins’ ability to handle multiple positions.
So the challenge changes. Brown’s absence lowers the Patriots’ passing-game ceiling. It also turns Pittsburgh’s assignment from identifying one featured threat into communicating through motion, stacks, and personnel changes involving Hollins, DeMario Douglas, Romeo Doubs, Rhamondre Stevenson, and Hunter Henry.
New England’s rotating targets will test Pittsburgh Steelers secondary
“... Sometimes he was the X, sometimes he was the F, the Z,” Vrabel said of Brown. “We’ll have to move guys around to different positions.” That sounds mundane until a bunch set forces a corner, safety, and linebacker to sort out three releases in about two seconds.
New England showed the committee approach after Brown left Week 1. Hollins led the Patriots with 51 receiving yards, Stevenson added five catches for 44 yards, and Douglas caught five passes. Doubs went without a catch on three targets, but he produced 724 yards last season. None creates Brown’s one-on-one problem. Together, they can force Pittsburgh to make every check correctly.
That’s especially relevant after Atlanta found its only steady receiving success through Bijan Robinson. The back caught eight passes while every other Falcon combined for four.
Henry also burned Pittsburgh for eight catches, 90 yards, and two touchdowns in last season’s meeting. Even sans Brown, Drake Maye has places to test the seams, flats, and underneath handoffs in coverage.
Pittsburgh’s secondary held up without Joey Porter Jr., but Cooper Rush isn't Maye. With Porter once again being ruled out for Sunday's contest, the pressure to perform without him falls on Asante Samuel Jr. first and foremost. It also makes Jalen Ramsey's level of play all the more important, as the Steelers are likely to remain heavily reliant on zone coverage until (or if) their star corner returns. That means asking him to play in space more often and coming downhill from the slot.
They also need more from Rayshawn Jenkins, whose rough opener included a touchdown allowed to Robinson. Pittsburgh assembled this veteran-heavy secondary to handle varied assignments. Sunday should show whether Pittsburgh can turn all that flexibility into coordinated coverage or leave players pointing at one another after the catch.
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