Brown has terrorized the Bengals since entering the league in 2010, catching touchdowns in three of the last four meetings and four of six. He’s also had at least 96 receiving yards in four of the last six and at least five receptions in seven straight.
“My respect for Antonio Brown is so high,” Kirkpatrick said. “It’s through the roof. But at the end of the day, he’s a threat to this team. We’ve got to go out there and try to eliminate the threat.”
Brown beat Kirkpatrick multiple times on the opening drive in their first meeting in Pittsburgh. In addition to three catches for 28 yards and a touchdown, Brown also drew a pass interference penalty against Kirkpatrick, who is in his first full season as a starter.
But with occassional hep from Adam Jones, Kirkpatrick held Brown to three catches for 19 yards on eight targets after the opening drive.
Still, Kirkpatrick was disappointed with his performance in Pittsburgh and vowed it will be different Sunday.
“I felt like I played like crap,” he said. “I don’t feel like I had the best game, so I was just overwhelmed on getting the win. But this time around, I feel like I’ve gained more confidence, the game has slowed down for me tremendously, so I feel it will be a different outcome for us, how I play.”
There won’t be any help from Jones, who is out with a foot injury, so Kirkpatrick will have his hands full all afternoon with one of the game’s best.
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