Ben Roethlisberger is holding the Steelers back
On Sunday afternoon, Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers lost to the Cincinnati Bengals 24–10 and fell to 1–2 on the season thus far. Big Ben went 38–58 with 318 yards passing, throwing 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. His passer rating was the worst of the season thus far at 70.9. After watching the game, you can see how much of an issue Roethlisberger is to his team.
This isn’t a new issue, either. It’s very similar to Drew Brees in New Orleans the last few years. Yes, they were good. But everyone knew that Brees couldn’t get them over the hump. And with a great roster, Brees held the Saints back from going further after his skills started diminishing.
Roethlisberger is in a similar situation. He doesn’t have as talented of a roster as Brees had in New Orleans in this particular season, but it’s still a group of guys who would be better off with a different quarterback.
Roethlisberger is ranked 28th among starting quarterbacks in passer rating this season at 79.0.
The injuries are starting to add up, as well. That’s nothing new. Every season something is going on with Roethlisberger as of late. He entered the game on Sunday with a left pectoral injury and appeared to injury his right arm from a hit when he threw an interception.
He’s a tough guy and he always tries to power through them — but being tough can sometimes hurt your team. Just look at Carson Wentz. The Colts maybe could’ve won the game against the Titans on Sunday if it weren’t for him powering through his injuries and starting the game.
At 39 years old, I would be shocked if Big Ben made it through the entire season. Especially this year since we now have a 17-game season. Which means there are still 14 games remaining for Ben.
The Steelers have had no real succession plan for Ben Roethlisberger, either. They drafted Mason Rudolph in 2018. He’s seen some playing time, but has not been impressive whatsoever. Pittsburgh also signed Dwayne Haskins this offseason. Despite some hoping he can become the player Washington hoped he’d be, most people think he’s just a backup. After all, he does have more interceptions than touchdowns in his career.
If Big Ben goes down, do the Steelers just tank and hope for a high draft pick? It’s possible. Even if he doesn’t, I’m sure some fans are hoping for that. The Steelers are in arguably the toughest division in the AFC. Cleveland and Baltimore are both playoff teams who are still looking very good. Both teams could easily be 3–0, as well. Then there’s also Cincinnati who has looked surprisingly good with Joe Burrow back under center.
The path to the playoffs looks impossible under Roethlisberger. The week 1 win against Buffalo seems more and more to have been a fluke — especially the way Buffalo has played since then.
The Steelers are going to waste a good roster for yet another year. Pittsburgh has always been a well run organization, but their loyalty is what can hurt them sometimes. My guess is most people in the organization knew that Big Ben couldn’t lead them to a Super Bowl, yet they have kept making new deals with him.
Roethlisberger brought them 2 Super Bowl victories, in 2005 and 2008. But that was a long time ago now. You pay a player for what they’re going to do for you, not for what they’ve done for you in the past.
The Steelers have allowed Ben Roethlisberger to hold their organization hostage for the last few years, now. Last year’s playoff berth was only due to their hot start and their defense being one of the best in football.
At the end of the day, professional sports is a business. The Steelers shouldn’t have allowed their loyalty get in the way of what was obvious, the same way the Saints did for Drew Brees.
It may not have been popular with the fans, but it would’ve been the right move to find a true replacement for Ben Roethlisberger. Now, it’s too late. For this season, at least.
