Antonio Brown's volatile but productive 2021 season has met another interruption.
Brown will not play in Tampa Bay's Week 7 meeting with Chicago due to an ankle injury, coach Bruce Arians told reporters Friday.
Tight end Rob Gronkowski (ribs), linebacker Lavonte David (ankle) and cornerback Richard Sherman (hamstring) also will not play versus the Bears.
Brown and Sherman suffered their injuries in the Buccaneers' win over the Eagles in Week 6. David and Gronkowski were both ruled out before that game kicked off. Gronkowski has not played since Tampa Bay's Week 3 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
When available, Brown has put together an excellent first month and a half of a season, breaking 120 receiving yards in two of the five games in which he's played and exceeding the 400-yard mark for the season on just 29 receptions. He's again become an explosive playmaker for Tom Brady and the rest of the Buccaneers, most recently turning on the afterburners for an early catch-and-run touchdown against Miami in Week 5.
Brown has already matched his receiving touchdown total from last season (four) and is gaining yards at a rate not seen since his All-Pro 2017 campaign. Sunday will be Brown's second missed game this season, and while Tampa is fortunate to have a deep cast of playmakers, the only thing standing between Brown and his first stellar season since 2018 is his health. The 33-year-old will hope to return sooner rather than later.
