n and the Packers have missed the playoffs two straight years, putting more pressure on the star QB and LaFleur to deliver. During

Even as he sat in the back of a police car sprinting to the hospital to get a precise prognosis on his injured left calf while the Pittsburgh Steelers played on without him during a loss to New England three weeks ago Dexter Williams Jersey , Antonio Brown always believed he’d be back.

He just needed time.

When his teammates provided it by assuring the AFC North champions of a first-round bye, Brown pushed his rehab.

By last weekend video surfaced of Brown working out in Florida with former NFL wide receiver Chad Ochocinco.

And there Brown was on Monday, going through drills with the rest of the Steelers well on track for a return on Sunday against Jacksonville in the divisional round of the playoffs.

”I never count myself out regardless of circumstances,” Brown said. ”I know playing football you’re going to have adversity. Just got to grow from it.”

While stressing he’s ”still got a lot to test,” the only unanimous selection on the 2017 All-Pro Team and the only player in NFL history with five straight seasons with at least 100 receptions appeared to be relatively close to his old self.

”AB is nice,” cornerback Joe Haden said. ”If he’s out there, I expect him to be AB. He’s not going to be out there limping around. When he was running, he looked pretty good. You never know how it’s going to feel afterward, but while he’s out there, while he’s running his routes, he looked like AB.”

Brown left in the first half against New England on Dec. 17 when his legs got tangled with a pair of Patriots defenders while trying to haul in a touchdown pass.

The Steelers lost 27-23 before rebounding to close out the regular season with wins over Houston and Cleveland.

Still, their best chance at reaching the AFC championship game for a second consecutive season comes with Brown’s No. 84 in the lineup.

The Jaguars have one of the NFL’s top defensive backfields, though Brown still finished with 10 receptions and 157 yards on Oct. 8, the lone bright spot for the Steelers in a 30-9 loss in which Jacksonville scored the final 23 points and left Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger shaken after throwing five interceptions.

Roethlisberger hasn’t shied away from talk of a rematch. That’s fine by the Jaguars.

”Be careful what you wish for,” Jacksonville cornerback AJ Bouye said. ”This is what he wanted. This is what he’s going to get.”

What the Steelers are likely to get in return is a heavy dose of Jaguars rookie running back Leonard Fournette.

He was dominant with 181 yards and two touchdowns against Pittsburgh in October, including a backbreaking 90-yard sprint with 1:47 left that showcased the speed and the power that makes him so dangerous. Jacksonville finished with 231 yards rushing in all, the most given up by the Steelers all season.

It was perhaps the biggest upset in the NFL season at the time. In the rearview Nick Bosa Jersey , not so much. The Jaguars have proven they’re legit while reaching the playoffs for the first time in a decade.

Though Jacksonville cornerback Jalen Ramsey suggested Pittsburgh must feel like the loss was a ”fluke,” the Steelers insist that’s not the case.

”We don’t feel like it was a fluke,” linebacker Bud Dupree said. ”We actually saw the plays they made and everything that was going on and the mistakes that we made and … that’s what happens. We let them get a couple of explosion plays.”

Yet Steelers safety Mike Mitchell is quick to point out the blowout on the scoreboard didn’t exactly reflect what happened on the field. Even with Fournette’s closeout dash to the end zone, Pittsburgh outgained the Jaguars 373-313.

”If you watch that football game, it’s not like their offense exploited us a ton,” Mitchell said. ”I don’t think it was a dominant performance from that standpoint. I thought we played well enough to win the game. Obviously we didn’t. We’ve got to do better Sunday as a complete team to win the game.”

One of the reasons Roethlisberger wanted another shot at Jacksonville. The two-time Super Bowl winner facetiously wondered if he still ”had it” after turning the ball over repeatedly back in October.

All he did over the second half of the season was throw 18 touchdowns against five interceptions while leading Pittsburgh to a second straight division title and fourth consecutive playoff appearance.

Roethlisberger’s swagger is back. And with Brown nearing a return, the Steelers believe they’re three wins away from a seventh Lombardi Trophy regardless of who may stand in the way.

”(Got to) find a way to win this one,” Brown said, ”and then the next one and the next one.”

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AP Sports Writer Mark Long in Jacksonville, Fla., contributed to this report.

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GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said his veteran additions on defense during free agency gave him more flexibility with his draft picks, but it didn’t necessarily mean he would shy away from a defensive player in the first round if someone he liked was there.In the end, he liked two.Despite having hired an offensive-oriented head coach in Matt LaFleur and knowing two-time NFL MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers is nearing the end of his illustrious career, the Packers opted instead to bolster its already-reinforced defense by picking rush specialist Rashan Gary from Michigan and speedy safety Darnell Savage from Maryland.The Packers chose Gary with the 12th overall pick Thursday night and traded up nine spots to take Savage at No. 21.Since Rodgers become quarterback, the Packers have now spent their first picks on defense in eight straight drafts.“I do have an offensive head coach sitting to my left the entire day in the room,” Gutekunst said. “(LaFleur) was great L.J. Collier Jersey , really supportive. (He) understood exactly what we were doing. “Football is the ultimate team game, and we’ve got to build this roster to be as strong as we can at every area. We’re going to try to take the best players available that we can (going forward). If there’s more defensive players that fall our way, we certainly have room for them.”Savage could fill a keen need at safety. He ran a 4.36-second 40-yard dash at the scouting combine and had been moving up draft boards since. He had seven interceptions over the last two years for the Terrapins. Last season, he was a second-team All-Big Ten pick after picking off four passes, breaking up two more and finishing with 52 tackles.“We thought he was an absolute difference-maker,” Gutekunst said. “We didn’t think he’d be there at 30.”The 6-foot-5, 281-pound Gary was a second-team preseason All-American, but a shoulder injury limited him to nine games as a junior and he finished with 44 tackles — including seven for losses — and 3½ sacks last season. He was an All-Big Ten player as a sophomore when he had 66 tackles, including 12 for losses and six sacks.He began focusing on his future after his injury-stunted season ended with a loss to Ohio State. He declared for the draft, skipping the Wolverines‘ bowl game and his senior season.Gary took the unusual move of forming his own sports agency while still with the Wolverines, proudly serving as founder and CEO. He explained in January that it fulfilled a vision he had as a high school star. Gary, who is from Plainfield, New Jersey, signed with Michigan as the top-rated high school player in the country.He wept with joy at a bowling alley in Ann Arbor, Michigan, as he and those at his draft party learned he was headed to Green Bay. He is expected start out at outside linebacker in Green Bay and move around in defensive coordinator Mike Pettine’s scheme.“My shoulder is 110 percent,” Gary said. “I can’t wait to strap on the pads and get ready.”The 12th overall pick was the Packers’ highest in 10 years since they made defensive tackle B.J. Raji the ninth selection. Green Bay had the 30th overall pick http://www.seahawkscheapshops.com/cheap-authentic-marquise-blair-jersey , too, but dealt it to Seattle to move up to get Savage and also sent the Seahawks a pair of fourth-round picks (Nos. 114 and 118)Speaking at the combine in February, Savage was asked if there were any NFL players he patterned his game after. His response? Chicago Bears safety Eddie Jackson, Amos’ running-mate last season in Chicago.“I kind of feel like he does a lot and I do a lot,” Savage said of Jackson. “We both bring speed, aggressiveness, instincts, make plays on the ball. I really enjoy watching him. I really study his game.”During free agency, Gutekunst signed four potential starters in outside linebackers Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith, safety Adrian Amos and offensive lineman Billy Turner. The defense began to show some promise last season under new coordinator Mike Pettine but still ranked 22nd in points and 18th in yards allowed.Gary and Savage should help a team that also watched longtime rush specialist Clay Matthews leave in free agency.The Packers may shift their attention to offense for the final two days of the draft.Rodgers is 35 entering his 15th season and the Packers have missed the playoffs two straight years, putting more pressure on the star QB and LaFleur to deliver. During last year’s forgettable 6-9-1 season, Green Bay was 15th in the league in points, 12th in yards and a woeful 23rd in third-down conversions. Rodgers was banged-up all year, finishing with 25 touchdown passes, a career low for a season in which he played at least 15 games.The Packers also lost experienced slot receiver Randall Cobb and many believe the team needs a top tight end even though Jimmy Graham and Marcedes Lewis are back.