ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Chris Harris Jr. gets another crack at redemption and Antonio Brown – providing the Steelers star is OK after a vicious hit in the closing minutes of Pittsburgh’s 18-16 wild-card win at Cincinnati.
The Steelers’ win, which was set up by the Bengals’ implosion in the closing minutes, set up a rematch next weekend with the Broncos in the AFC divisional round.
Harris hadn’t surrendered a touchdown in 35 games before Brown scored twice on him in the Steelers’ 34-27 comeback win over the Broncos in Pittsburgh on Dec. 20.
Harris pointed the blame at himself for that loss and Broncos coach Gary Kubiak said the next day, ”I know who I’d be voting for right now for MVP.”
That would be Brown, whom Harris has been saying ever since that he’d love to see again in January.
Now he will, as long as Brown can come back from linebacker Vontaze Burfict‘s hit to the head that put the Steelers in position for a game-winning field goal.
Burfict’s personal foul was followed by another 15-yard penalty, this one on cornerback Adam Jones, giving Pittsburgh a chip-shot field goal for the win.
The last time the Broncos and Steelers played, Brown caught 16 passes for 189 yards, and Harris has been promising things would be different in a rematch.
”I won’t be out of whack,” Harris said recently. ”I’ll be ready to go.”
The sixth-seeded Steelers (11-6) are the only team that topped 30 points against top-seeded Denver (12-4), which led the league in defense for the first time in franchise history.
