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Cowboys don’t cry and heroes don’t die. Good always wins again and again. But that’s in the movies, and here in the real world, it’s not that easy at all. The sun set on the career of Ben Roethlisberger as the Pittsburgh Steelers lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 42-21 to close out the final chapter in the book of Big Ben.
The game was surprisingly competitive as the Steelers’ defense more than rose to the challenge through most of the first half. They were swarming and pressuring Patrick Mahomes, keeping the Chiefs from being able to mount any kind of offensive momentum, even after a 55-yard punt return set them up with from the Steeler 22-yard line. Most thought it was the opening the Chiefs needed, but T.J. Watt deflected a Mahomes pass right into the hands of Devin Bush, who intercepted it and was a stride away from possibly making it 7-0 Steelers.
NBC Sports
After shutting the Chiefs out in the 1st quarter, the Chiefs went with a gadget play and the Steelers defense exploited it after Cam Heyward forced a fumble and the likely DPOY scooped up and ran it back for the score.
NBC Sports
The Chiefs quickly recovered to score on the ensuing drive and evened the game up with 5:45 in the 2nd quarter. The Steelers offense really needed to string together some first downs and just chew time off the clock, but they failed to even get a first down. The play that seemed to seal the Steelers fate was a drop by Diontae Johnson on a 3rd and 2, a simple slant pattern in which he couldn’t see the play through.
NBC Sports
The ineffectiveness of the offense that plagued the Steelers through the last two months truly caught up with them. The Chiefs were able to exploit them by challenging quickly again. The Steelers had one final chance with 2:00 minutes left to go into the half tied at 7-7, but the Chiefs found a way to punch it in not once, but twice, against the exhausted unit and a close contest became a blowout.
A game in which visions of advancing to the second round quickly faded into watching the clock tick down on the career of Big Ben. And as he has shown throughout his 18-year career, even against insurmountable odds, Roethlisberger would not quit and he battled to the end. Late in the 3rd quarter, he connected with Johnson on a 13-yard scoring strike and again in the 4th quarter to James Washington for the final TDs passes of his career.
NBC Sports
NBC Sports
At that point, it was too little too late. Roethlisberger made his final etchings in the NFL record book by passing Joe Montana and Brett Favre for the 3rd most post season yards by a QB, the final touching of his Hall of Fame career as the 5-year clock for his gold jacket officially started.
NBC Sports
It was a final curtain call for Big Ben, and it was an ending in which one felt a combination of pride, gratefulness and sadness. Ben’s passes were dropped, underthrown and overthrown, including one to JuJu Smith-Schuster that would have been broken for 7, but he just could not get the touch on it for the accuracy that was once so natural. One could not shake the feeling that the Big Ben as recent of just 2018 would have torched the Chiefs secondary instead of the inability to convert on the opportunities they had.
In a way, it gives us all closure. There was nothing left on the field, no lack of effort. The end of a career rarely ends with a player going out on top and Ben has nothing to be ashamed of. He gave us memories to last a lifetime, but nothing lasts forever and the best we can do is to be grateful for what we were able to witness for 18 years, and wish Ben well as he leaves the game of football to, as Chuck Noll would say: “Begin his life’s work.”
Thanks for the memories Big Ben, we love you and will see you again for one final celebration on the steps of Canton in 2027.
#SteelerNation
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
The game was surprisingly competitive as the Steelers’ defense more than rose to the challenge through most of the first half. They were swarming and pressuring Patrick Mahomes, keeping the Chiefs from being able to mount any kind of offensive momentum, even after a 55-yard punt return set them up with from the Steeler 22-yard line. Most thought it was the opening the Chiefs needed, but T.J. Watt deflected a Mahomes pass right into the hands of Devin Bush, who intercepted it and was a stride away from possibly making it 7-0 Steelers.
NBC Sports
After shutting the Chiefs out in the 1st quarter, the Chiefs went with a gadget play and the Steelers defense exploited it after Cam Heyward forced a fumble and the likely DPOY scooped up and ran it back for the score.
NBC Sports
The Chiefs quickly recovered to score on the ensuing drive and evened the game up with 5:45 in the 2nd quarter. The Steelers offense really needed to string together some first downs and just chew time off the clock, but they failed to even get a first down. The play that seemed to seal the Steelers fate was a drop by Diontae Johnson on a 3rd and 2, a simple slant pattern in which he couldn’t see the play through.
NBC Sports
The ineffectiveness of the offense that plagued the Steelers through the last two months truly caught up with them. The Chiefs were able to exploit them by challenging quickly again. The Steelers had one final chance with 2:00 minutes left to go into the half tied at 7-7, but the Chiefs found a way to punch it in not once, but twice, against the exhausted unit and a close contest became a blowout.
A game in which visions of advancing to the second round quickly faded into watching the clock tick down on the career of Big Ben. And as he has shown throughout his 18-year career, even against insurmountable odds, Roethlisberger would not quit and he battled to the end. Late in the 3rd quarter, he connected with Johnson on a 13-yard scoring strike and again in the 4th quarter to James Washington for the final TDs passes of his career.
NBC Sports
NBC Sports
At that point, it was too little too late. Roethlisberger made his final etchings in the NFL record book by passing Joe Montana and Brett Favre for the 3rd most post season yards by a QB, the final touching of his Hall of Fame career as the 5-year clock for his gold jacket officially started.
NBC Sports
It was a final curtain call for Big Ben, and it was an ending in which one felt a combination of pride, gratefulness and sadness. Ben’s passes were dropped, underthrown and overthrown, including one to JuJu Smith-Schuster that would have been broken for 7, but he just could not get the touch on it for the accuracy that was once so natural. One could not shake the feeling that the Big Ben as recent of just 2018 would have torched the Chiefs secondary instead of the inability to convert on the opportunities they had.
In a way, it gives us all closure. There was nothing left on the field, no lack of effort. The end of a career rarely ends with a player going out on top and Ben has nothing to be ashamed of. He gave us memories to last a lifetime, but nothing lasts forever and the best we can do is to be grateful for what we were able to witness for 18 years, and wish Ben well as he leaves the game of football to, as Chuck Noll would say: “Begin his life’s work.”
Thanks for the memories Big Ben, we love you and will see you again for one final celebration on the steps of Canton in 2027.
#SteelerNation
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
