Roethlisberger vs. Brady isn't the mismatch you might think

The refrain that Tom Brady always beats the Steelers is one that we've heard over and again.

After all, Brady is 10-2 against them and has knocked them off in the AFC Championship Game three times, though his 2002 win should include an asterisk since he left with an injury and Drew Bledsoe actually completed the win.

To that point, it's true. Brady, the Patriots' five-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback has been a foil for the Steelers for quite some time. His 25-9 record in the postseason is something that might never be matched, and his 193-55 record as a starting quarterback, a winning percentage of .779, is the best in NFL history.

Adding a loss to that total will be something the Steelers (11-2) attempt when they host the Patriots (10-3) at Heinz Field in a rematch of last season's AFC Championship.

And this game will help decide where a potential rematch in this year's postseason will take place.

"We are excited about being in the ‘kitchen,’ if you will," Mike Tomlin said. "It’s good being in the ‘kitchen’ and the ‘kitchen’ is in Pittsburgh this week in the National Football League and at Heinz Field. That’s where you want to be in the middle of December. We don’t take it for granted as competitors – we are excited about it."

To make that happen again in January, the Steelers will need Ben Roethlisberger to outduel Brady. Before you choke on your drink reading that, realize that while Brady owns a 5-2 record overall at Heinz Field, he's 3-2 against the Steelers in Pittsburgh when Roethlisberger starts.

And the statistics in the head-to-head meetings here between the two aren't overwhelmingly in Brady's favor, either:

Brady has thrown for 1,398 yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions in those games. Roethlisberger has 1,390 yards passing, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions in the matchups.

With the way Roethlisberger is currently playing, it's not beyond the bounds of reality to expect him to outperform Brady this week in a game that will be the first in NFL history to feature two quarterbacks with seven combined Super Bowl victories -- five for Brady, two for Roethlisberger.

After a slow start, Roethlisberger has heated up considerably to move into second place in the league in passing yards (3,744) behind only, you guessed it, Brady (3,865).

"He’s finding his rhythm over the course of this thing," Tomlin said of Roethlisberger. "We had a lot of discussions in here over the course of the year. You guys asked me what’s wrong with third down and things of that nature. I told you nothing was wrong with third down. We were inching our roles. We were on the roles a lot. Remember at one point I told you we were at six visiting stadiums out of nine games and you guys looked at me like I was lying. As the playing field gets leveled, as you look at it as a large body of work, what you are is revealed."

What has been revealed about Roethlisberger is that, despite openly contemplating retirement in the offseason, he's still at the top of his game.

Since his five-interception debacle against the Jaguars Oct. 8, a game in which he sarcastically stated, "Maybe I just don't have it anymore," Roethlisberger has regained the form that has made him one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL for well over a decade. In the past eight games -- all wins -- Roethlisberger has completed just under 65 percent of his passes for 2,475 yards with 18 touchdowns and six interceptions. His passer rating during that span is 100.8. He's been even better in the past four games as the Steelers have opened up their offense, attempting 196 passes -- his most in any four-game stretch in his career -- with a completion rate of just under 67 percent, 1,446 yards, 12 touchdowns and three interceptions.

"He's locked in, I feel, and I don't want to speak too soon, but he's locked in like he was in 2010," Ramon Foster told me. "Think about that year. History is a thing. We were ahead in some games, we were losing some games late and come back and find ways to win. It has that kind of feeling. For us to continue to have that feeling, we have got to keep playing that way. He's on another level right now, everything around him. He deserves more credit."

Roethlisberger, however, has always tipped his hat to Brady as being the greatest player of all time at the quarterback position. This season, even at 40, Brady has continued to play well. In addition to his passing yards, his passer rating of 105.2 leads the league. But he also hasn't been as good in his past two games. He failed to throw a touchdown pass and had an interception two weeks ago in a win at Buffalo and threw two interceptions in a loss Monday night in Miami.

Roethlisberger, meanwhile, is coming off a game in which he set team records with 44 completions and 66 pass attempts in a 39-38 win over Baltimore. He also became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for 500 or more yards in three games, posting 506 against the Ravens.

And as he has heated up, the offense has begun scoring points in bunches, as well. The Steelers have averaged 33 points per game in their past four outings.

"I think offensively we are," Roethlisberger said when asked if the offense is playing at its peak. "We're playing really well. We also have a huge challenge this week. When you're into the flow of a game and getting into a rhythm, you feel it. Last week was one of those games. Guys were making plays, so it's easier to get into a rhythm."

If he can continue that on Sunday, Roethlisberger could even his record at Heinz Field against Brady.

"He doesn't get enough credit," Foster said. "He's won Super Bowls. He's put up the numbers. But don't look at everything that happened in the past. Look at what's happening now."

MATT SUNDAY GALLERY