Antonio Brown torched Vontae Davis and the Colts when the Steelers needed it most

The Pittsburgh Steelers have battled through an up-and-down season, with injuries tearing apart a 4-1 start. But Ben Roethlisberger is healthy now and his connection with wide receiver Antonio Brown looked as crisp as ever during a 28-7 win on Thanksgiving.

Brown finished the game with three touchdowns — two over Indianapolis Colts cornerback Vontae Davis, who left with a groin injury in the second quarterback.

With the hat trick, Brown passed Jordy Nelson and Mike Evans for the league-lead in touchdowns. It was also the first three-touchdown performance of Brown’s career during an otherwise forgettable year by his lofty standards.

Brown’s yardage increased in each of the last four seasons, but through the first 11 games of 2016, the Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver has taken a step back. For the first time since 2013, he’s averaging fewer than 100 receiving yards per game.

He’s topped 100 yards just four times in 2016, but Thursday was a reminder that the Steelers can still score points in a hurry and Brown can be an absolute nightmare to handle.

Especially if the defensive back tasked with stopping Brown isn’t 100 percent.

Davis entered the game with an ankle injury and dealt with a knee scope and concussion earlier in the year. It’s been a rough year for the cornerback, who now has to deal with a groin injury on top of everything else. Even on the pair of plays when Brown didn’t come down with a catch, staying with the Steelers receiver wasn’t working out so well for Davis.

Two plays after Colts safety Darius Butler saved a touchdown after Davis fell down, Roethlisberger went back to Brown down the right sideline, connecting on a 25-yard touchdown over Davis.

The only other throw in Brown’s direction that wasn’t hauled in was an offensive pass interference call that appeared to injure the already hobbled cornerback. Brown caught a second touchdown in the second quarter with a 33-yard grab in the back of the end zone over Davis.

Brown added a third touchdown in the fourth quarter with Davis out of action, but the Steelers leaned heavily on Le’Veon Bell in the second half to grind out the remainder of the clock.

With just six targets all game, Brown finished with five receptions for 91 yards.

“I don’t take it for granted, but I’m not surprised by it,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin told reporters after the game. “He maximizes opportunities.”

Even with his yards per game average shrinking from 114.6 in 2015 to 90.7 through 11 games in 2016, Brown still leads the NFL in receptions and is now the league leader in touchdowns. He’s also just two yards away from notching a fifth career 1,000-yard season, which will likely net him a nice car at the end of the year courtesy of Brandon Marshall.

But Brown catching his stride is especially important for the Steelers, who climbed back over .500 with the win. In a tight race with the Baltimore Ravens, the Steelers need Brown and Roethlisberger to connect like they did on Thanksgiving.