Ben Roethlisberger receives recreation ball following Steelers’ win over Ravens; QB addresses his future

PITTSBURGH — Ben Roethlisberger and Mike Tomlin didn’t affirm nor deny reviews that that is certainly the ultimate season for the longer term Corridor of Fame quarterback. Roethlisberger, who did affirm that he acquired a recreation ball for his play through the Steelers‘ 20-19 come-from-behind win over the Ravens, stated that his focus is on the 2021 Steelers and Pittsburgh’s upcoming Thursday evening recreation in Minnesota. 

The 39-year-old quarterback seemed like a youthful model of himself through the last stanza of Sunday’s recreation. After subpar play from Roethlisberger and his teammates throughout workforce’s current 0-2-1 skid, Massive Ben and the Steelers responded with a much-needed win towards their most bitter rival. 

“My focus is on Minnesota and what we’ve to do to prepare,” stated Roethlisberger, who went 21 of 31 for 236 yards and two touchdowns on Sunday that included the game-winning landing move to Diontae Johnson. “I will handle any of that stuff after the season. I’ve at all times been a one recreation at a time, one season at a time particular person, and I’ll keep that means.”

Tomlin, Roethlisberger’s coach for 15 of his 18 seasons in Pittsburgh, shared Roethlisberger’s sentiment because it pertains to his quarterback’s future. Tomlin stated that he doesn’t anticipate a potential rising outdoors narrative of a Massive Ben “farewell tour” impacting his workforce by some means. 

“Ben does not enable it to turn out to be a problem,” Tomlin stated. “Ben has been fairly stable by way of his expressions that he’s singularly targeted on what we’re doing now. He’ll take care of these issues on the opposite facet of this journey, and I am with him on it. 

“It’s not a distraction. I assumed it was humorous that it was seemingly a narrative this weekend, to be fairly trustworthy with you.” 

With the skin world extra targeted on the longer term, Roethlisberger and the Steelers confirmed why the current could also be value listening to. The Steelers’ 2021 season, which seemed to be all however over following final Sunday’s stinker in Cincinnati, got here to life on Sunday due to 17 fourth-quarter factors from Pittsburgh’s offense and a protection that managed to drive an incomplete move on Baltimore’s game-tying, two-point conversion try with simply seconds remaining. 

The Steelers’ protection, led by T.J. Watt and former Raven Chris Wormley, sacked Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson seven instances whereas holding the Ravens to 135 yards within the second half. Pittsburgh’s protection ended Baltimore’s promising game-opening drive with an interception by Minkah Fitzpatrick, who has two picks in as many video games. 

“We had been type of on our heels a bit bit,” Wormley stated of Pittsburgh’s protection previous to Fitzpatrick’s decide. “They had been driving and shifting the ball and changing on third downs. Minkah is likely one of the greatest safeties within the league, so for him to step up the way in which he has the final couple of weeks, it is encouraging, as a result of we’ll want somebody like him for the following 5 weeks. 

“That was an enormous momentum shift for the protection, for certain.” 

The offense was largely led by Roethlisberger and Johnson, who shook off an early drop ultimately zone to catch two touchdowns and ending the sport with 105 yards on eight receptions. Johnson is now lower than 90 yards away from turning into the Steelers’ first 1,000-yard receiving since JuJu Smith-Schuster and Antonio Brown each did so in 2018. 

“We had guys that confirmed lots of coronary heart; he is one,” Roethlisberger stated of Johnson. “He drops that ball after which comes again and makes a bunch of robust catches, a bunch of bodily kind performs, working for further yards. And different guys, too. … Everybody stepped up and made a play right this moment, and that is what makes me most happy with this group.”

The Steelers additionally acquired some robust working late from Najee Harris and Benny Snell, as Pittsburgh managed the ball for over 10 minutes within the fourth quarter after having possession for lower than 14 minutes through the recreation’s first three quarters. Together with opening up holes for Harris and Snell, the Steelers’ much-maligned offensive line allowed only one sack of Roethlisberger, who registered his 51st profession game-winning drive. 

Whereas he talked about a number of teammates throughout his postgame press convention, it was Roethlisberger who acquired the sport ball following his efficiency on Sunday evening. Roethlisberger stated that he was caught off-guard by the gesture. 

“I do not assume that I deserve it,” Roethlisberger stated. “I feel lots of guys deserve it, and we deserve it as a gaggle. It is at all times humbling once you play this workforce at residence and coach acknowledges you want that. It is type of cool.”

Roethlisberger stated that he spoke to Harris about how Sunday evening was doubtless his first of many matchups towards Pittsburgh’s fundamental rival. Roethlisberger talked to Harris about how he can infuse his distinctive physicality to what’s arguably the NFL‘s greatest rivalry. The Steelers-Ravens rivalry can’t be mentioned with out mentioning Roethlisberger, whose one-on-one rivalry with former Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs was talked about by Tomlin to the workforce through the days main as much as the sport. 

Roethlisberger might not have many Steelers-Ravens video games left in him (the 2 groups play in Baltimore within the regular-season finale), however Sunday’s recreation left open the potential of the Steelers making the playoffs for an twelfth time with Massive Ben underneath middle. The Steelers gained floor on Baltimore and Cincinnati on Sunday, because the Bengals fell at residence to the Chargers earlier within the day. They nonetheless have work in entrance of them, however the Steelers confirmed on Sunday that any speak of Pittsburgh being a no-show come the postseason is untimely. 

However Sunday evening’s postgame was not the time to speak concerning the future. For Roethlisberger, it was a second to get pleasure from one other win within the Steelers-Ravens rivalry, a win that stored the remainder of the Steelers’ 2021 targets in tact. 

“I have been doing it for a very long time,” Roethlisberger stated. “I’ve loved this recreation, and this recreation particularly. Profitable at residence in entrance of our followers, it is superior.”