Patriots vs. Steelers: Will Antonio Brown Play in Sunday Night's Game?

When the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers arrive for Sunday night's game, their focus will be on starting the season with a much-needed victory. The Patriots have struggled in September in years past and will want to avoid this trend as Tom Brady looks to lead his team back to the Super Bowl at the age of 42. Ben Roethlisberger, on the other hand, wants to prove that his offense is just as effective with youngster JuJu Smith-Schuster taking over as the top wide receiver in town.

For the fans, however, the focus will be far away from the actual field. They simply want to know what is happening with wide receiver Antonio Brown. The Patriots acquired the veteran after a very explosive exit from the Raiders, but will he be on the field?

Fortunately for the Black and Yellow, their former wide receiver is not eligible to play in Sunday night's game. The earliest he can suit up for the Patriots is in week two. Instead, he will be watching this battle between his two teams from the luxury box with team owner Robert Kraft.

Antonio Brown can't play his former team the #Steelers tonight but he will be present at the game.

He'll be with owner Robert Kraft in the box watching the #Patriots-Steelers game, per @PSchrags

Steelers probably hoped to never see AB again, they willpic.twitter.com/iyIacmP2Sh

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 8, 2019

The reasoning for this roster update and Brown's lack of availability for Sunday night is that his release from the Raiders on Saturday was not made official until 4 p.m. ET. However, the rosters essentially lock at the exact same time, so transactions cannot be made after that time or on Sunday due to games taking place.

Brown has technically agreed to terms with the New England Patriots to become their newest wide receiver, but the transaction has not been filed with the league office. This move will take place on Monday morning, which is when social media will be filled with the hashtags "#CallGod" and "#BusinessisBoomin."

Brown may not be eligible to suit for his new team during the first week of the season, but he will be available for as long as he follows Bill Belichick's rules and adheres to the "Patriots Way." Considering that he can potentially win a Super Bowl, it's expected that Brown will be behaving far better in Foxborough than he ever did in Oakland.