Raiders have hands full covering Steelers’ Brown

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PITTSBURGH — The Raiders are one of the feel-good stories in the NFL this season, after many years of suffering. A win over the Steelers would strengthen their playoff chances and put them in the wild-card driver’s seat at 5-3.

But there’s always someone waiting to pop the balloon. In this case, it’s a 5-foot-10, 180-pound blur.

Antonio Brown thinks he is the best receiver in the NFL, and no one on the Raiders is arguing the point.

“He’s explosive to the ball,” Oakland coach Jack Del Rio said. “Once he gets the ball in his hands, he can score from anywhere. He’s a good route runner. He really attacks the football.

“Not only on offense is he a threat, but he’s the punt returner and he does a heck of a job there. Again, he’s a guy we’ve got to know where he is on the football field.”

Brown is fourth in the NFL with 718 receiving yards on 52 catches and is licking his chops at going against the 31st-ranked pass defense in the league. His stats are even more impressive when you consider he had to catch passes from Michael Vick and Landry Jones while Ben Roethlisberger was out four games with a knee injury.

But Roethlisberger was back for the 4-4 Steelers on Sunday, and so is that thing he does where he stands tall in the pocket and takes hits while Brown improvises and gets open.

Steelers receiver Antonio Brown has the gift of grab; he is fourth in the NFL with 718 yards. Steelers receiver Antonio Brown has the gift of grab; he is fourth in the NFL with 718 yards. Photo: Jared Wickerham, Getty Images Photo: Jared Wickerham, Getty Images Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Raiders have hands full covering Steelers’ Brown 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Since 2013, Brown leads the NFL in catches (291) and receiving yards (3,915).

“Roethlisberger’s so big and strong that you’ll see guys, he’ll shrug them off,” Del Rio said. “You think you have him down, he’ll wiggle his way out of there, stay alive and … dump it to a back late as he’s on his way down. He’ll find a way to throw it 70 yards down the field.”

Brown has only three touchdowns this year, but is looking for more against a team that he knows will have to double-team him at times. It doesn’t matter that he is not as big as other elite receivers; he is convinced that he cannot be stopped.

“The only time there is a weight class is before the draft,” Brown told ESPN. “This is the NFL. It’s all about what you do. I can run past guys and get done what I need to do. I can do everything the big guys can do.

“You don’t see a 6-5 Ferrari. It’s low to the ground.”

Cornerback David Amerson (6-foot-1) and DJ Hayden (5-11) will get turns trying to stay with Brown, as will safeties Charles Woodson and TJ Carrie cheating over.

Steelers Hall of Famer Lynn Swann, himself only 5-11, doesn’t think any cornerback can cover Brown for as long as is necessary.

“I think Antonio’s speed, his ability to catch the ball and make great plays and improvise when Ben is scrambling around has had a huge impact on this football team,” he told Steelers.com. “He works at getting open when (Roethisberger) is scrambling around....

“All of the receivers have adjusted to it. The coaches have bought into it. They think the risk is worth the reward. It’s just what Ben does and they take advantage of it.”

Raiders defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. admits Roethlisberger is a special quarterback and is fun to watch. It’s just that his players can’t watch the quarterback bounce off tacklers Sunday.

“The way he extends plays, you have to have great eyes, be really good with your feet, have really good discipline,” Norton said. “You can’t get too mesmerized with watching how awesome Big Ben is. You have to cover your guy.”

Vic Tafur is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: vtafur@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @VicTafur