Drowned out among the cries of Ohioans while Ben Roethlisberger was busy tearing apart the Bengals in Cincinnati for what seems like the 100th time, was a small celebration. Not the celebration of beating the Bengals, those are loud and proud in Steeler Nation. But a smaller celebration took place inside the mind of Antonio Brown.

Brown is a quiet and soft-spoken man off the field. He doesn't bring attention to himself the way a Dez Bryant or a certain former Bengal receiver does. He wouldn't celebrate this out loud... not while the season is still ongoing. But his play on the field speaks volumes. With his seventh and final reception of the day in an upset win on Sunday, Brown reached the 100-catch plateau for the third time in his career.

The fact that he's done that in consecutive seasons is even more impressive. Only five other receivers in NFL history have caught 100 passes in three consecutive seasons: Jerry Rice (1994-1996), Herman Moore (1995-1997), Marvin Harrison (2000-2002), Wes Welker (2007-2009) and Brandon Marshall (2007-2009). Harrison stands alone as the only receiver to reach that mark in four consecutive years (1999-2002).

Brown's 339 receptions are the fifth-most over a three-year span, and he has three games left to play. With just four catches vs the Broncos, he would pass Cris Carter(340) and Jerry Rice(342) to move into third place. With eight receptions, he would pass Wes Welker(346) as well. For the season, Brown's magic number is 16. With 16 more receptions on the year, he'll pass Marvin Harrison's 354 catch stretch from 2000-2002.

Considering that five catches per game is just minimal output for Brown (as long as Roethlisberger is under center), he should be able to make history by the time the regular season ends. So, Steelers fans, when you're watching the game on Sunday, or if you're lucky enough to be at Heinz Field, don't forget to stop and appreciate that you might be watching the most dominant three-year span from a receiver in league history.

Most receptions over three-year period, league history:

Marvin Harrison 2000-2002: 354 (102, 109, 143)

Wes Welker 2007-2009: 346 (112, 111, 123)

Jerry Rice 1994-1996: 342 (112, 122, 108)

Cris Carter 1994-1996: 340 (122, 122, 96)

*Antonio Brown 2013-2015: 339 (110, 129, 100+)*

Herman Moore 1995-1997: 333 (123, 106, 104)

Jimmy Smith 1999-2001: 319 (116, 91, 112)

Sterling Sharpe 1992-1994: 314 (108, 112, 94)

Torry Holt 2003-2005: 313 (117, 94, 102)

Brandon Marshall 2007-2009: 307 (102, 104, 101)

Andre Johnson 2012-2014: 306 (112, 109, 85)

Rod Smith 2000-2002: 302 (100, 113, 89)

Andre Johnson 2008-2010: 302 (115, 101, 86)

Hines Ward 2001-2003: 301 (94, 112, 95)