Maybe Antonio Brown has spoiled everyone for so long that when he catches four passes for 39 yards and no touchdowns, it becomes breaking news.
It would be like hearing Billy Joel hit a sour note, or having watched Gene Kelly trip on his umbrella. Those things just do not happen.
But in football, they do. The greatest of all time, Jerry Rice, in his prime and in his best season of 1995 was held to five receptions for 32 yards at home against Buffalo, two catches for 21 yards at St. Louis and six catches for 43 yards at Indianapolis. Yet, he would catch 122 passes that season and lead the NFL with 1,848 yards, still third most in history.
Brown himself has had worse days than Sunday's against the Bengals _ he was held to three catches for 24 yards vs. Arizona last season _ just not with Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback lately. It has been more than three years since Brown produced such low numbers with Roethlisberger throwing him the football.
Nevertheless, Brown will live to do it another day, perhaps Sunday in Philadelphia, where the Steelers have lost eight consecutive and not won since 1965.
"I always want to have a great performance and give the fans what they came to see," Brown said Monday.
Frustrated? Yes and no. The Steelers, after all, won 24-16 and he did have that big game the week before against the Redskins when he caught eight for 126 and two touchdowns. And his team is 2-0.
"Regardless of winning, I'm a competitor. I'm always going to maximize my opportunities on the football field and my playmaking abilities. I think about the plays when I go home and I take it seriously. It means a lot to me.
"But anytime you win it's a positive, it's a great thing. That's our business _ winning. Always you have to keep that mentality along this process because I have to continue to grow, continue to get better and continue to maximize my time here."
Brown expressed some frustration during the game but little on Monday, except to say, "I think I was open in some situations."
He also acknowledged dropping a pass wide in the open when "I tried to get up field before catching the ball. That boils back down to me."
"Being fundamentally sound and no matter when my number is called, being able to maximize my opportunity whether that's one time or two times, just coming through for my team because I know that's what I'm capable of doing."
The Bengals did nothing in their coverage that Brown has not seen before.
"It's the same thing, corner in the front, safety over the top," Brown said, with PacMan Jones covering him as the corner most of the game. "Everyone is going to do the same thing, come in and stop 84. That's going to allow us to open other guys up and allow more guys opportunities with me in double coverage."
It's a rare game when Brown sees single coverage. Despite that, he caught 136 passes last season. Only one person in NFL history caught more (Marvin Harrison, 143). His 1,834 receiving yards rank fourth all-time. People have suggested he could become the first receiver to gain 2,000 yards.
"The numbers take care of themselves," Brown said. "It's not about numbers anymore. Everyone knows I can put up numbers. It's about us winning ballgames and winning championships."
The Steelers are 2-0, and Antonio Brown ranks 16th in the NFL with 165 yards receiving, tied for 12th with a dozen receptions. There is plenty of football left to be played.
