When Ben Roethlisberger is under center for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Antonio Brown is unguardable.
A precision route runner with speed and hands to make any catch, Brown is a mismatch against every defensive back in the NFL.
The question entering Sunday's tilt between the Steelers and Seattle Seahawks is whether corner Richard Sherman will shadow Brown.
"I don't know about that," Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said this week, via ESPN.com. "I'll have to gauge my temptations."
Brown ranks second in the NFL in receptions (79) and receiving yards (1,141). Had Big Ben not been hurt multiple times this season, Brown would likely be on pace to break Marvin Harrison's record for receptions in a season.
On the flip side, the Seattle secondary has struggled to find a corner to play opposite Sherman. Cary Williams has been terrible most of the season and was benched last week. With the troubles on the opposite side, it's natural to expect Sherman to travel with Brown, as he did with A.J. Green, Dez Bryant and Torrey Smith.
Sherman, however, said he'd never directly asked coaches for the shadow job.
"Not once," Sherman said. "I go out there and do my job, whatever they ask me to do. I don't change that for anybody because I think that's when you get caught up looking forward to things and get caught up in the peaks and the valleys of a season. 'I'm going to get up for this guy, I'm not going to get up for this guy. We don't have to worry about these guys.' You've got to worry about them all."
In facing the Steelers, Brown isn't the only weapon. If Sherman stalks AB, a speedy Martavis Bryant should exploit lesser corners himself.
For what it's worth, the Steelers are expecting the head-to-head matchup between Brown and Sherman.
"I would anticipate Richard to follow AB," Roethlisberger said. "If you consider AB the best, which we do, and I think they probably consider him one of the best. We consider Richard to be one of the best in the business. We would expect that matchup."
While he's one of the best corners in the NFL, without a stellar running mate this season Sherman hasn't been as dominant. He's allowed a passer rating of 110.2 this season, 56.8 completion percentage and three touchdowns without a single interception.
