PITTSBURGH -- Wide receiver Antonio Brown torched the Miami Dolphins' secondary for touchdowns of 50 and 62 yards on the Steelers' first two drives in Pittsburgh's 30-12 AFC wild-card victory Sunday, his first career postseason scores.
"They all feel the same," said Brown, who has 50 career touchdown receptions in the regular season.
The 62-yard TD was the Steelers' longest postseason scoring pass since Ben Roethlisberger's 65-yarder to Santonio Holmes in the 2008 AFC Championship Game against the Baltimore Ravens, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Brown beat the cornerback on a slant route and then shook the safety and found nothing but open field.
Roethlisberger knew Brown would score as soon as he threw the ball.
"One-on-one with a safety that deep, it's pretty good," Roethlisberger said.
On the 50-yard TD, Brown's first score on a
screen pass, the receiver took a jab step inside, then cut down the sideline as tight end Jesse James issued a crucial block on Dolphins cornerback Tony Lippett. Brown "makes it happen" in the open field with stiff-arms and broken tackles, center Maurkice Pouncey said.
Brown became the first player since Randy Moss in 2000 to post two receiving touchdowns of 50-plus yards in a single postseason game, according to ESPN Stats & Info. Moss went for 53- and 68-yard scores against the Saints in the NFC divisional playoff.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Brown's 119 first-quarter receiving yards were the most by a player in the first quarter of a playoff game since Minnesota Vikings receiver Gene Washington's 120 yards in the 1969 NFL Championship Game against the Cleveland Browns.
Brown's first-quarter total more than tripled his 39-yard output against Miami in Week 6.
Brown said earlier in the week that he's not worried about his stats and that "people remember champions." He's now one game closer to becoming one.
"It's not about stats," the 5-foot-10 Brown recently told ESPN. "It's about getting in that [trophy] hallway and doing something special."
Brown finished the game with 124 yards on five receptions.
"A.B. is dynamic," guard Ramon Foster said. "We know what he does. We know how he plays and how hard he works. I'm just excited that we have him on our team."