Antonio Brown Has an Important Five Catch Streak Going that You May Have Missed

This weekend saw some historical accomplishments that people will be writing about for years. Tom Brady reached 50,000 passing yards. Peyton Manning threw his 500th touchdown pass. And Antonio Brown further extended his NFL record streak of consecutive games with 5 catches and 50 yards to 21.

What, you didn’t know about that one?

It’s such an important and totally non-arbitrary thing that only two other players have ever gone a full 16 games with 5 catches in every game: Jimmy Smith (2001) and Pierre Garcon (2013). Wait, but Smith had a game with only 49 receiving yards, and Garcon was under 50 yards three different times last year. So, no one has ever gone a season with 16 straight games in a single season besides Brown, let alone 21 straight NFL games.

So this is totally just running up the score on this imaginary 5/50 record that just became a thing.

Speaking of which, Brown got his 5th catch on Sunday with Pittsburgh ahead 17-9, coming out of the two minute warning, with Jacksonville out of timeouts. In other words, in kneel down time. He lined up in the backfield, caught a quick swing pass behind the line and ran 16 yards out of bounds, and then Pittsburgh kneeled it.

Was it the “right” move?

"At the two-minute warning, Roethlisberger said he pulled aside Tomlin and Haley for a private conversation. The Steelers had a first down at the Jacksonville 33. Instead of taking a knee three times and ending the game, Roethlisberger suggested calling a quick, safe, “easy” swing pass to Brown, who needed one more catch to extend his NFL record to 21 consecutive games with at least five catches and 50 receiving yards. Tomlin and Haley quickly gave their approval."

Big Ben also called Browns 5/50 streak “unbelievable.” I agree, because I literally don’t believe this is a thing and if certain other receivers chose to make it a thing in the past, they could have. Obviously, you have to be good to catch 5 passes repeatedly in a NFL game. But game situations often dictate that the team doesn’t force it to one player if they have a lead. Jerry Rice, for example, had a streak of 18 games in 1995 and 1996 that ended with 3 receptions in a victory over New Orleans.

Tomlin defended the play by calling it a significant record.

"“He’s got a significant record that exemplifies what he’s doing in his career,” Tomlin said. “We want to support that. We had a low-risk play to get the ball in his hands. The guys were excited to get the ball in is hands, as were we.” However, Tomlin said if the play didn’t work, the Steelers would not have called another pass to Brown to continue the streak. “If he doesn’t get it on that play, it’s a wrap,” he said."

Oh good, because the only way Jacksonville could have possibly come back was an incomplete pass, leaving time and not allowing Pittsburgh to kneel it. I would have doubled down and gone all in and shown real commitment to this streak thing.

Not all coaches would have gone along with this in a one-score game with the win otherwise sealed, though, so this just goes to show that Tomlin is a “player’s coach.”

[GIF by Michael Shamburger]