Ben Roethlisberger knows what's at stake. The Steelers' 2018 season is on the line Sunday at Heinz Field when the team closes out its regular season against the Bengals (6-9).
But even if the Steelers (8-6-1) emerge victorious in that contest, they need another team to win if they want to make the playoffs. The Browns (7-7-1) must defeat the Ravens (9-6) in Baltimore to give the Steelers the AFC North crown and the automatic playoff berth that goes with it.
Because of this, many fans and media members have shifted focus to the Browns vs. Ravens matchup, analyzing the various aspects of that game and breaking down what the Browns need to do to get the win.
Don't count Roethlisberger among them. He believes only one game matters Sunday — and he'll play a crucial role in it.
"This is just, you gotta win this football game," Roethlisberger told media Thursday at the Rooney Complex. "I don’t care about anything but winning this football game, because nothing matters if you don’t."
Beyond the playoff implications, the Steelers' matchup with the Bengals represents another competitive AFC North showdown, something that always seems to bring out the best — and occasionally the worst — in all parties involved.
"If you have to psych yourself up to get fired up for that game, something’s wrong with you," Roethlisberger said.
While Roethlisberger maintains he is solely focused on the Bengals, the fact remains the Steelers' season depends on the Browns getting a win. Asked if he will be looking at the Browns vs. Ravens score on the big board at Heinz Field, Roethlisberger reiterated his previous comments.
"I assume it will be on the scoreboard unless Mr. Rooney doesn’t want it up there," Roethlisberger said. "I don’t care. I don’t really care what’s going on outside of Heinz Field, because that’s all I can control. So that’s all that matters to me... If we don’t take care of our business, nothing else matters."
In one last chance to dive into Roethlisberger's focus beyond the Bengals, the Steelers quarterback was asked a hypothetical. If the Steelers win and the Browns win, how does he like the team's chances in the postseason?
That didn't work, either.
"It doesn’t matter," Roethlisberger said. "I’m not going to talk about that until Monday if it happens. But like I said, I’m not looking forward to the playoffs because we have to take care of our business first."