Across the Field: The Return of Big Ben
When Giants quarterback Daniel Jones takes the field Monday night for the Giants, it will mark the first time in 5,846 days (16 years, two days) that the Giants opening-day starting quarterback will be someone other than Eli Manning, now retired.
Across the field, the Steelers, who last year went most of the season without Ben Roethlisberger due to an elbow injury, are going back to their long-time veteran who, like Manning, came from the 2004 draft class.
Roethlisberger, who ironically might have been the Giants franchise quarterback in 2004, had then-general manager Ernie Accorsi been unable to engineer the historic trade that brought Manning to New York, has proven to be a formidable foe when facing the Giants.
He holds a 3-1 regular-season record against them and has completed 76 of 123 pass attempts (61.79%) for 1,010 yards, six touchdowns, and just eight interceptions.
Standing 6'5" and weighing 240 pounds, Roethlisberger is among the last of a dying breed, which is the pure pocket passer who prefers to use his solid, strong base generated from his lower body to anchor in the pocket and then chuck the ball down the field.
But despite having been there, done that, including winning a Super Bowl championship, Roethlisberger admitted to having some jitters.
"You always have jitters and nerves for the first game, but the way I feel now is more than I have felt in a very long time," Roethlisberger told reporters earlier this week.
"Monday night, I’m sure I’m going to be shaking like a leaf. It’s one of those things that you get out there, and hopefully, it all comes back to me really quickly. There’s going to be rust. There’s no doubt about it, but hopefully, we can get it knocked off sooner than later."
In his first game back since his elbow injury, Roethlisberger will have a versatile and talented group of receiving options that includes wideouts Juju Smith-Schuster, Dionte Johnson, Chase Claypool, James Washington, and tight end Eric Ebron.
"Ben’s been doing it for a while," said safety Jabrill Peppers, who during his time with the Cleveland Browns would face Roethlisberger and the Steelers twice a year.
In addition to his 3-1 record against the Giants, Roethlisberger has thrown at least two touchdowns in his last two meetings against New York and has recorded a passer rating of at least 90 in six of his previous seven games against NFC opponents.
Under the bright lights of Monday Night Football, Roethlisberger has thrown at least two touchdown passes and recorded a passer rating of 110 or higher in three of his past four appearances.
"I’m sure you guys don’t need me to tell you what threats he poses," Peppers said. "Big, strong arm, he’s more mobile than most people think. Tough, willing to sit in the pocket. He extends plays and those guys do a great job getting open for him."
This season, Roethlisberger will be running an offense as tweaked by Randy Fichtner that incorporates some relatively new concepts for the offense, such as pre-snap shifts, jet sweeps, and motions.
"We know we have a tall task at hand," Peppers said, "but we’re ready for it."
Giants-Steelers Regular Season Series History
78th regular-season meeting. Giants lead series, 45-29-3. The Steelers have won three out of the past four meetings, including the last game played between these two clubs, a 24-14 Pittsburgh win on December 4, 2016.
Before that, the last game between the two teams played at MetLife Stadium, a 24-20 Steelers win on November 4, 2012. The Giants have outscored the Steelers 1,514 to 1,294 in regular-season games dating back to 1933.
