Steelers WR Brown falls ill, sent home

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown was sent home from practice on Friday with an illness, the team announced.

Coach Mike Tomlin told reporters of the decision on Brown, who has been sidelined for the final two weeks of the regular season since sustaining a calf injury in a 27-24 loss to the New England Patriots on Dec. 17.

"I think we've all seen Antonio play enough that we know what he's capable of," Tomlin said of Brown, who was a full participant in practice on both Wednesday and Thursday.

While Brown was absent on Friday, cornerback Artie Burns (knee) and defensive end Stephon Tuitt (elbow) were full participants in practice. All three are expected to play in Sunday's divisional-round game versus the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars.

Brown has 101 receptions for an NFL-best 1,533 yards and nine touchdowns in 14 games this season for the Steelers (13-3). The 29-year-old Brown has 733 catches for 9,910 yards and 59 touchdowns in 115 career games since Pittsburgh selected him in the sixth round of the 2010 draft.

Burns started every game for the Steelers this season and joined Joe Haden and Mike Hilton as a respected cornerback threesome. Burns had one interception this season.

Tuitt recorded 25 tackles, 3.0 sacks and one forced fumbles this season.