It was an extremely quiet second half for Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown, who caught five passes for 101 yards over the course of the first 30 minutes of the game, but his lone reception beyond the halfway point, going for just seven yards, was the biggest play so far of the season, as it secured the team’s trip to the AFC Championship Game, their first since 2010—and also the last time the Patriots weren’t there.
It probably wouldn’t hurt to start with the final reception, given how important it was. The Steelers, trying to finish off an 18-16 victory—a margin that was only secured due to a holding call on a successful two-point conversion just a minute earlier in game time—were facing a third and three at the two-minute warning.