Tomlin: Brown expected to play despite missing practice

With a playoff game looming against the NFL's best pass defense, the Steelers were hoping they would have their top receiver back for the game.

All-Pro receiver Antonio Brown was not at practice on Friday as the team completed its preparations for its AFC Divisional Playoff game Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but Mike Tomlin said it was due to an illness, not anything related to the calf injury that held him out of the final two weeks of the regular season.

"Antonio has looked really good. He did participate today. I sent him home with an illness," said Tomlin, who said he expects Brown to play against the Jaguars. "I didn't want him to get any of the guys that weren't sick, sick. We'll bring him back in the building (Saturday) and continue with his game readiness. I don't have any reservations with him right now from a physical standpoint. We do need to get him well from an illness standpoint."

Brown will be counted on along with rookie JuJu Smith-Schuster and Martavis Bryant to carry the load against All-Pro cornerbacks A.J. Bouye and Jalen Ramsey.

Bryant and Smith-Schuster combined for nine catches for 79 yards in the Steelers' 30-9 loss to Jacksonville Oct. 8 at Heinz Field. Brown had 10 receptions for 157 yards in that game.

Defensive end Stephon Tuitt, nose tackle Javon Hargrave, cornerback Artie Burns and guard B.J. Finney were all full participants in practice on Friday and should be OK to play against the Jaguars.

Tuitt and Burns were both injured in practice Wednesday, with Tuitt suffering an elbow injury and Burns hyperextending his knee. Both sat out practice Thursday.

Hargrave also sat out practice Thursday with a sore back, while Finney suffered a quad injury in the regular season finale against Cleveland.

That means the Steelers are as healthy as they have been at any point since the third play of the regular season when Tuitt suffered a biceps injury in the opener against Cleveland.

They have played plenty of previous playoff games in the past four years without a number of their star players, including Brown, Le'Veon Bell, Cameron Heyward and others.

The only starter who will not play in this game will be Ryan Shazier.

"We play the cards we're dealt. We realize that health is a blessing in this game. When we lack it, we're not going to allow it to be an excuse," Tomlin said. "Those performances are those performances. We're excited about this one."

MATT SUNDAY GALLERY