Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger gets wish, ends potential last game at Heinz Field with win

PITTSBURGH - Minutes before the prospect of his final game at Heinz Field, Ben Roethlisberger faced the Cleveland Browns' game captains in the Pittsburgh Steelers' midfield logo on Monday night.

Fellow Steelers captains Cam Hayward and Derek Watts would typically snarl quarterbacks when running for the coin toss, but the pair stopped short, letting Roethlisberger move on without them.

When Roethlisberger realized what was happening, he playfully pounced on them, but they held back. Roethlisberger kept going until he stood alone in midfield for a possible final coin toss at Heinz Field of his 18-year career.

"We knew that if we'd told Ben ahead of time, he'd be like, 'No, don't do that,'" Hayward said. "So we took it out of his hands. He was a little annoyed, but we wanted to give him every opportunity to celebrate it."

It was an understandable gesture by the kind of veteran, who had earlier said that he loved winning in pomp and conditions on Monday night, a final farewell to his home turf.

The Steelers fulfilled Roethlisberger's greatest wish with a 26–14 victory against the Browns.

"I'm so grateful for these fans and this place. There's no place like it," Roethlisberger said with tears in his eyes during a postgame interview with ESPN.

Roethlisberger kept up his normal pregame routine on Monday night, arriving four hours before the competition, but did not take the field for final practice until 46 minutes before kickoff.

"Ben did a really good job of setting the pace," said Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin. "He was singularly focused. It was business as usual, and so he was easy to follow, and I think everyone got his vibe from him in that way. Obviously, it was an extremely emotional night and he All, but he did a good job of setting up the post for that approach all week."

Roethlisberger hugged Steelers minority owner Thomas Tull, who took out a full, front-page ad in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Monday to thank the quarterback. Tull also wore a black Roethlisberger jersey.

At the start of the pregame warm-up, Steelers owner and president Art Rooney II thanked Roethlisberger for "great 18 years" on the video board, but also highlighted tribute to the Steelers quarterback. During the fourth-quarter play of "Renegade", no additional Roethlisberger moments were added to the highlight reel.

As expected, Roethlisberger was the last player announced personally, and he exited the tunnel to a loud cheer from 63,624 fans, who broke into a "Let's Go, Ben" chant after his introduction. There was chanting throughout the game as fans armed with farewell signs bid farewell to their franchise quarterback.

Steelers linebacker TJ Watt said. "Very normal. Until you went outside and felt the energy. See all 7 jerseys, all 7 signs.

"It was really an atmosphere that I had never felt here before. It was really, really special. The fans made it so wonderful for her. I so appreciate that they were able to do this for her." It was a special night."

The Steelers responded with an active, complementary game.

While Pass Rush racked up nine sacks, including a career-high four from Watt, Roethlisberger completed 24 of 46 attempts for 123 yards—including 34 attempts in the first half—with a touchdown and an interception. . With that performance, Roethlisberger set an NFL record for the fewest passing yards in a game with at least 45 pass attempts, and he averaged 1.75 air yards per completion, with ESPN starting the track air yards in 2006. His lowest performance in a game since

Roethlisberger said, "It's funny because you don't want it the way you wanted it to be, except maybe to win." "And that's all that really matters. And that's the story of my career: Not always pretty, but we find a way."

To increase the offense, Nazi Harris did his best as a pro, scoring 188 yards on 28 carries. His huge night helped him break Franco Harris's franchise rookie rushing record from 1972, earning him 1,172 rushing yards this season. He also scored a 37-yard touchdown in the last minute.

"He's a football player's cat," said Roethlisberger. "Tonight, it looks like he ran away. Everything he did was just special, and he got us that win."

Courtesy of Trey Norwood's interception, after taking a knee in victory formation, Roethlisberger ended his postgame interview and held the ground for 12 minutes. He extended his hand with his thumb, forefinger and little finger, moving slowly in a circle to tell the crowd at Heinz Field that he loved them. He walked along the perimeter of the South End zone, acknowledging the high-fiving and traveling fans, made posters and shouted "Thank you, Ben" and "Let's go, Ben" throughout the game.

"This is home," Roethlisberger said afterwards. “I was born in Ohio, but I live here, and I will always be here. These fans and this place mean a lot to me and my family and always will be. I have always said that they are the best fans of all. of the game, and I will live until the day I die.

"To see all the signs and jerseys and towels, and to cheer them on for coming out of the tunnel, all that stuff, I don't know if I'll ever put it into words. I wish I could bottle it up and take it forever." Take it for granted. But I'll be here and on my mind."

Tomlin watched as the quarterback made his way around Heinz Field, and the coach allowed himself to reflect on their relationship.

"I was appreciative of the last 15 years with him," Tomlin said. "Man, we've been through a lot. We've seen a lot. It's been one heck of a ride. It's been an honor to be a part of and enjoy."

Surrounded by cameras, Roethlisberger cut back across the field and to the side and hugged Rooney before taking a seat on the bench, where he sat down with longtime center Maurice Ponci a year earlier after a playoff loss to the Browns. Were. This time he was sitting alone.

"Just wanted to sit down and take it in," Roethlisberger said. "Just try and absorb every minute of this place because it's so special, the fans are so special. I wanted to win this game for them more than anything. Obviously, we still have a big - We have one more game. One less chance [of a place in the playoffs], but we have to keep fighting."

After a moment, he got up and walked towards the tunnel, where his family welcomed him. He hugged them all and then went into the tunnel with his wife and three children.