Little did anyone know when Benjamin Todd Roethlisberger made his first career start at Heinz Field on Oct. 3, 2004, against the Bengals that 18 years later, he would still be the quarterback of the Steelers. Nor did they know that his career would someday end with Roethlisberger being a shoo-in for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
But what was known is that one day, his career would, indeed, come to an end.
All good things must come to pass and, well, Roethlisberger has passed as well as just about any quarterback in NFL history.
But Monday night against the Browns, he'll make what will be his final regular season start at Heinz Field.
The old gunslinger is set to call it quits at the end of this season. The question remains, however, when will that be.
The NFL schedule says the Steelers (7-7-1) have two games remaining on their regular season slate. But, given the craziness of this NFL season, they remain alive to win the AFC North. Beat the Browns (7-8) in this game and then win at Baltimore, losers of four-straight games, next week and the Steelers get to 9-7-1.
If the Bengals (9-6) lose at home to the Chiefs Sunday, and then on the road at Cleveland in their regular-season finale -- the Browns crushed the Bengals, 41-16, at Paul Brown Stadium earlier this season -- and the Steelers win the AFC North.
It's a path. In fact, it's a clear path. But it all starts with this game against the Browns on Monday night.
"It's an AFC North opponent. It doesn't matter which of the other ones we're playing. It's a north opponent," said Roethlisberger, who earlier this season got his 25th victory of his career against the Browns in a 15-10 Steelers win in Cleveland.
"We're still in it. I know if they pull up the polls we're on the outside of it, but if we win two we take care of our business, and I know some things have to happen and we have a chance to have another home game. But, yeah, it's always special to play these guys. Monday Night Football, everyone will be watching. There is always a little extra juice when it's AFC North football."
The Steelers have never lost a game on Monday night at Heinz Field with Roethlisberger at quarterback. In fact, they've never lost a home Monday night game at Heinz Field. They've won 19 consecutive home Monday night games and are 28-5 all-time in Pittsburgh in the NFL's showcase game.
The Steelers want to win this game not just for Roethlisberger, but for themselves, as well. Even if the Bengals were somehow able to beat the Chiefs, meaning the path would get much more difficult and would require a fleeting chance at a wildcard berth, they want to finish the season strong.
"I try to stay like Coach T (Mike Tomlin) says, he says stay singularly focused," said cornerback Joe Haden. "Thinking that we're not mathematically eliminated, we still kind of control our destiny. What we can do is still win these last two games and then hopefully we can get into the playoffs."
If they do that, Roethlisberger would get another home game -- albeit in the playoffs.
The Steelers have won just two of their past six games, but both have been at home, where they have a 5-2-1 record this season. The Browns? They've lost four of their past six, as well. And they're just 2-5 on the road this season.
But both teams still harbor playoff hopes. The Browns can still win their final two games and get into the playoffs, as well, as the entire AFC North is separated by just two games going into the final two weeks of the season.
"Guys are just ready to control what they can control," said Browns defensive end Myles Garrett. "We know we need some help to get where we want to get, but it starts first by winning. We have to go into a hostile environment and play the best we can. We have to put our best foot forward and go ball out. Right now, nothing matters if we go in there and take an L. We have to knock them out of the playoffs, and we have to hope we have a way to get in ourselves. We do not have to worry about that result. We have to worry about ours.”
That doesn't mean the Browns are feeling in a giving mood when it comes to sending Roethlisberger out after 18 seasons of frustration against the quarterback, whom they passed on in the 2004 NFL Draft to instead take tight end Kellen Winslow. Roethlisberger is 25-2-1 in his career as a starter against the Browns.
“Over the years, growing up, I’ve seen a lot of football with Ben Roethlisberger, been a fan of Ben Roethlisberger,” Cleveland defensive lineman Jadeveon Clowney said. “He ain’t beating us. It’s been a great career, he’s won Super Bowls, which everybody sets out to do, he’s gonna be in the Hall of Fame.
"I just hope we can send him out the right way, our way. Win and get after him a lot."
It was the Browns that ended the Steelers' season a year ago with a defeat in the opening round of the playoffs. With so much on the line, this game has a similar atmosphere
The Steelers wouldn't mind returning the favor and making their final game in Baltimore next week -- in what would be Roethlisberger's final regular season start -- a meaningful one.
He's given Steelers fans and players so many great memories, they'd like to return the favor.
"For sure it’s not his last game," said Cam Heyward. "I remember when I was young. I remember that Super Bowl in Arizona. He’s made some moments. I’ve been appreciative to be his teammate. Two games left — that’s all we’re guaranteed. Hopefully, we can make this tour last a little bit longer, but as a teammate, you appreciate what he’s done. I just want to send him off with everything I can."
Will that add pressure to this game?
Perhaps for some. But others just look at it as another opportunity.
"I don’t think it’s pressure. Why does it have to be pressure? Why can’t you just go out there and have the mindset to win the game?" said Najee Harris. "I think that the word pressure is overrated. If you put all of that aside and just go out there and execute and do your assignments, there should be no pressure, really. When you put on pressure, you’re making the game harder than what it already is.
"Just go out there and execute and everything should fall into place. This is a playoff game. But should we act any different? Why should we act different now? Why couldn’t we do this all season? I view that differently. I’m going to play every game like it’s my last game, like it is a playoff game."
For Roethlisberger, however, it is perhaps his last game at Heinz Field -- at least he has to treat it that way. He, however, has always had a similar mentality to that of Harris, especially after having his 2019 season ended with a major elbow injury.
Roethlisberger has invited a number of former teammates to this game. His entire extended family will be there. And Heinz Field figures to be bursting at the brim to give the quarterback a proper sendoff.
"It’s a lot of things," Roethlisberger said of the emotions he'll feel for this game. "It’s 18 years. It’s nearly half my life giving to this city and this team and the fans. The fun thing is that I still know I have it in the tank to go out this week and next week and give it everything I have, to do everything I can to get us into the postseason. That’s ultimately the goal, to win a Lombardi. That’s still my goal. We’re not out of this thing yet."
THE ESSENTIALS
• Who: Steelers (7-7-1) vs. Browns (7-8)
• When: 8:15 p.m., Monday
• Where: Heinz Field
• Forecast: 25°, 4% chance rain, 8-mph wind
• TV: WTAE, ESPN (national)
• Radio: 102.5 WDVE, ESPN Pittsburgh
• Streaming: Steelers Nation Radio
• Satellite: Sirius XM 225, online 826
• Media notes: Steelers | Browns
THE INJURY REPORT
Steelers: LB Buddy Johnson (foot, out), P Pressley Harvin (personal/illness, questionable), C Kendrick Green (calf, questionable)
Browns: S John Johnson (hamstring, out), safety Ronnie Harrison (ankle, out), CB Troy Hill (knee, out), RB Kareem Hunt (ankle, questionable), DT Malik Jackson (knee, questionable)
THE COVID LIST
Steelers: LB Devin Bush, OT Zach Banner, RB Anthony McFarland, DE Chris Wormley, DB Arthur Maulet, LB Joe Schoebert
Browns: LB Elijah Lee, LB Tony Fields, OT Alex Taylor
THE KEY VARIABLE
Can the Steelers get a first-half touchdown? Will they need to score a first-half touchdown?
It's been five games since the Steelers last scored a touchdown in the first half, something not done by the team since 1940. They've been outscored 97-9 in the first half during that span.
But somehow, they've won two of those games, beating the Ravens and Titans. The three losses? They've all come on the road.
The difference is that the defense has kept things close in those two home wins until the offense got rolling. The Steelers trailed the Ravens just 7-3 at the half and the Titans, 13-3.
Overall, the Steelers have 101 first-half points this season. Only the Giants (97) have been worse.
"That's our intentions every week," Tomlin said of trying to score in the first half. "But we've come up short. I'm not going to run away from that. It is what it is. I'm not going to try to explain it away. We can sit in settings like this and talk about it all day and you can walk away about feeling good my answer and write a story, but that doesn't solve the problem. Actions does."
What the Steelers need to do is capture some of the momentum they seem to gain later in games. The offense has produced 49.5 percent of the Steelers' 301 points for season in the fourth quarter, easily the highest rate in the NFL. By comparison, the Browns have scored just 21 percent of their points in the fourth quarter, the lowest rate in the league.
So, if the game is even, the Steelers are leaving the Browns behind. Or at least that's been the trend.
One way to perhaps kickstart the offense would be to allow Roethlisberger to run a little more no-huddle earlier in the game. The Steelers have tried it at times in recent weeks, but it's sometimes difficult to do on the road in noisy stadiums such as in Minnesota and Kansas City, where they have played their last two road games.
At home against a very familiar opponent? That's a different story.
"When we’re going no-huddle as a change-of-pace, it’s trying to get the defense to stay in whatever they’re in," said J.C. Hassenauer, who will start at center in place of injured Kendrick Green. "It’s just kind of an up-tempo offense that we’re going to run. In terms of the offensive line, we’ve just got to get to the ball as fast as we can. We’ve got to make our calls. In terms of big scheme, it really doesn’t change. We’re going to stick with what we do.
"We’re fairly familiar with these guys. We kind of know, expect to know, what they’re going to do when we throw them a fastball. I think we’ll be ready."
Why not allow Roethlisberger to finish off his final home regular season game the way he's largely played his entire career -- slinging the football.
As Hassenauer said, it also makes it easier to identify what the defense is trying to do. And most defenses, when the offense goes to a no-huddle, go to a default mode in those situations. You'll get very vanilla looks.
That allows Roethlisberger to set the matchups.
"Yeah, he does," said Harris, who needs 16 yards for his first 1,000-yard rushing season. "He goes in depth in telling us what to do in the routes. It’s all hot routes. Whatever he sees the defense is in and the best routes to beat the defense."
At this point, the Steelers have nothing left to leave on the table. Lose and their chances of getting to the postseason are over. And Roethlisberger will then have just one start remaining in his career -- that coming in a meaningless game next week at Baltimore.
Besides, what the Steelers have been doing hasn't been working.
"That doesn't make anybody happy," said offensive coordinator Matt Canada of the team's first-half woes. "It's a bottom-line business. But we've been working on it and we're going to everything we can to find a way to start faster.
"We just want to win."
THE HISTORY LESSON
The Steelers and Browns have met quite a few times to close out seasons, with losses typically ended in the Browns needing a new head coach.
But in the 1993 season, both teams were hovering around .500 when they met Jan. 2, 1994 to close out the regular season for both teams.
The Steelers entered at 8-7 and needing a win to secure a playoff spot. The Browns were 7-8 and in need of a win and a little help.
And for the first half of the game, Bill Belichick's defense caused the Steelers fits, holding them to just one Gary Anderson field goal, while Matt Stover kicked three to give Cleveland a 9-3 lead after 30 minutes.
At halftime, Greg Lloyd got up in front of the team and gave a profanity-laced speech essentially telling the offense that it was putting his playoff money share in jeopardy and that wasn't a good idea.
The offense took things to heart. Neil O'Donnell led another field goal drive in the third quarter to pull the Steelers within 9-6. Then, in the fourth quarter, he threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Eric Green to give the Steelers a 13-9 advantage.
The Steelers then added another Anderson field goal, this time from 26 yards, to make it 16-9.
The game held the under in Las Vegas, which was surprisingly just 31 points, a tip of the cap to the defenses of both teams.
The Steelers, led by 1993 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Rod Woodson, limited the Browns to 295 total yards, including just 61 yards on the ground on 20 carries as Leroy Hoard and Tommy Vardell led Cleveland with 29 yards on the ground each.
Vinny Testaverde was 15 of 30 for 249 yards, getting sacked three times -- one each from Lloyd, Kevin Greene and Kenny Davidson.
The Browns sacked O'Donnell seven times, with Anthony Pleasant getting to the Steelers quarterback three times. But Leroy Thompson had 91 yards rushing on 26 carries and Merril Hoge had 48 yards on four attempts as the Steelers rushed for 135 yards. Green had six catches for 65 yards and the game's lone touchdown.
With the win, the Steelers won a tiebreaker over the Dolphins, whom they had beaten a few weeks earlier in Miami, to sneak into the playoffs at 9-7.
That sent them to Kansas City, the AFC West champions, where they nearly pulled off the upset, losing to the Chiefs and Joe Montana in overtime.
KARL ROSER / STEELERS
Steelers defensive lineman Cam Heyward works on using his hands at practice this week.
THE MAIN MATCHUP
The Steelers have faced Cleveland's star running back Nick Chubb seven times in his career counting the playoffs. In just one of those games has Chubb rushed for more than 100 yards, that coming in last year's regular season finale when the Steelers were resting a number of starters, including Heyward and Watt.
But that does't mean the Steelers don't have a ton of respect for Chubb.
"I think Chubb is the best running back in the league," said defensive coordinator Keith Butler. "He's got great vision. He does a great job accelerating through holes when he sees the hole. It'll be a challenge for us, big time challenge for us, like it always is. We got to play them well. We played them pretty well last time, but he still got that -- I mean, second play of the game he gets a good run on us, so we got to do a good job trying to control him as much as we can."
The Steelers have had their issues stopping the run this season. But they had success against the Browns in their victory earlier this season, limiting Cleveland, which entered the game leading the league in rushing. to 96 yards on 23 carries.
Many in Cleveland wondered why the Browns didn't run the ball more.
Chubb had 61 yards rushing in that game on 16 carries. But when you do a deeper dive it's not hard to figure out why.
Of Chubb's carries in the game, 11 went for 2 or fewer yards. He had runs of 14, 21 and 12 yards in the game, accounting for 47 of his 61 yards. On his other 13 carries, he gained 14 yards.
It wasn't that the Browns didn't try to run the ball. The Steelers dissuaded them from doing so by selling out to stop the run.
"We did a decent job," said Heyward. "But it was a lot of gang tackling. It wasn’t just one-on-ones. The thing that stuck out to me is that we didn’t surrender touchdowns. We gave up one touchdown. In that type of game, you’ve got to keep beating a dead horse and keep running to the ball."
Since that game, the Steelers have allowed 1,399 rushing yards over a span of eight games, an average of 174.9 yards per game. They've fallen to dead last in the NFL stopping the run.
But even last season, the Steelers weren't a great run-stopping team as much as they were one that was opportunistic. They were middle of the pack overall.
But they led the NFL with 103 tackles for a loss. This season, the Steelers are second in the NFL with 79 tackles for a loss this season, an obvious decrease from a year ago.
It's not just the stops for negative yardage that matter. It's the gains of little to no yards, as well. If you can make first-and-10, second-and-8 or longer, the defense is in an advantageous position, especially against the Browns.
Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield has always struggled against pressure. But this season, he's been even worse. Since Week 10, Mayfield is completing just 46 percent of his passes on third down with a passer rating of 22.1. He averages 5.1 yards per attempt and his eight interceptions are tied for the most in the NFL in that period.
For the season, he's completing just 42 percent of his passes when pressured, which ranks 27th in the NFL.
But to get to those points, the Steelers have to stop the run.
"I think on first downs especially. If you can get to the second and longs and they’re trying to play catch up on second down, then third down becomes an advantage your way," said Heyward. "It works to your advantage. It’s not an easy task. They’ve got a lot of good athletes, a powerful offensive line, a great running game. We’ve got to make sure it’s not just one guy there, it’s got to be 11."
THE TEN DATA POINTS
• Mayfield has faced the Steelers six times in his career and never thrown for more than 225 yards.
• Opponents score a touchdown on 68.1 percent of trips in the end zone against the Browns, which is 28th in the NFL. The Steelers' red zone defense allows a touchdown just 50.9 percent of the time, which is 6th-best.
• Jarvis Landry leads the Browns wide receivers in catch percentage at just 60.9 percent. Donovan Peoples-Jones has caught 57.1 percent of the passes thrown to him, while Rashard Higgins is at 54.8 percent. By comparison, Ray-Ray McCloud is at 66 percent, Diontae Johnson 63.8 percent, Chase Claypool 57.3 percent and James Washington 55.8 percent for the Steelers.
• Brad Allen's crew will officiate the game. They've called an average of 5.21 penalties per game on home teams, third-fewest in the NFL. They call 6.43 penalties per game on road teams, the 7th most in the league. The Browns have been called for holding 21 times, 6th-most in the NFL. The Steelers have 13 holding penalties, sixth-fewest in the league.
• Johnson needs eight receptions to become the fourth player in Steelers history to record a 100-catch, 1,000-yard season. He has 92 receptions for 1,079 yards. Hines Ward, Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster also have done it. Ward and Smith-Schuster both did it once, while Brown did it six consecutive seasons.
• The Steelers' 43 sacks are third-most in the NFL. They have led the league in sacks in each of the previous four seasons, an NFL record. The Dolphins currently lead the NFL with 45 sacks. The Vikings and Bucs have 44 each. The Browns have 37 sacks.
• Only five teams have fewer than the 17 touchdown passes the Browns have posted this season. The Browns' 200.7 yards passing per game also ranks as the 6th-worst in the NFL.
• The Browns' 144.9 yards rushing per game is third-most in the NFL. The Steelers rank 29th at 87.6 yards per game.
• The Steelers have averaged 20.1 points per game at home this season, 17.5 points per game on the road. They've allowed 20.9 points per game at home and 25.9 points per game on the road.
• The Browns have made just 72.7 percent of their field goal attempts this season, tied with the Jaguars for third-worst in the NFL. Chris Boswell has made 87.9 percent of his kicks this season for the Steelers.
THE FANTASY CORNER
Just call me the money man. That's five weeks in a row I've finished in the money with my DFS lineup after posting a season-high 195.3 points with a lineup that included Joe Burrow, J'Marr Chase, David Montgomery, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Justin Jackson and the Miami defense. Let's do it again this week. Remember, I'm building a fantasy lineup using Draft Kings and a $50,000 salary cap.
Quarterback: Matthew Stafford, Rams ($7,100) -- You saw what the Bengals' passing game did to the Ravens last week. The Rams is every bit as good, if not better.
Running back: Devin Singletary, Bills ($5,400), Darrel Williams, Chiefs ($5,800) -- Singletary has quietly taken over the backfield duties for the Bills, who are at least trying to establish a running game. Williams has been an RB1 when Clyde Edwards-Helaire has been out.
Wide receiver: Zay Jones, Raiders ($3,900), Tyreek Hill, Chiefs ($8,300), Van Jefferson, Rams, ($5,300) -- Jones has gotten at least seven targets in each of the past three games. He's a bargain. Hill was quiet last week, but I wouldn't bet on that happening again. And Jefferson gets me another piece of the Rams passing game against the Ravens.
Tight end: Dallas Goedert, Eagles ($5,100) -- Goedert was a bust last week with just two catches. But he should bounce back this week.
Flex: DeAndre Swift, Lions ($6,000) -- Swift was an RB1 each week before his shoulder injury. He's coming back at a bargain price.
Defense: Steelers ($3,100) -- I expect a low-scoring game Monday night. I also know the Steelers have won 19 consecutive home Monday night games. If you think they're going to win a low-scoring game, they should be worth the low price.
