Let's Take Ben Roethlisberger's Advice and Just Have Fun
Ben Roethlisberger's media availability on Wednesday was some of the best of his 18-year career in the NFL. He let loose and was very candid about the Pittsburgh Steelers' chances in Arrowhead on Sunday.
Of course, he didn't say the Steelers will just roll over, but he did playfully acknowledge that they "have no chance" to win. He also mentioned that they're "20-point underdogs". Most Sportsbooks have them at about 12.5-point dogs.
Regardless, Roethlisberger did follow up the "no chance" line by saying the Steelers should "go out and have fun" Sunday night. The only thing fun about football is winning, and make no mistake, Roethlisberger would love to do nothing less.
Everyone is counting the Steelers out of this game. Roethlisberger even mentioned that they're probably the 14th best team out of the 14 that made the postseason. He might be right.
How soon everyone forgets, however, what had to happen for the Steelers to even be playing on Sunday? The Jacksonville Jaguars, the NFL's worst team, beat the Indianapolis Colts for their second win all season long. Indianapolis missed the playoffs and Pittsburgh stole their spot because of it.
Anything can happen on any given Sunday.
No one wants to flashback to a few short weeks ago when the Chiefs handily added the Steelers to their list of victims with a 36-10 loss. Pittsburgh was badly outclassed in that game. One player they didn't really have was T.J. Watt.
Watt tried to play in that game, but his rib injury proved a bit too problematic for him to make any impact. A healthier version of him will play Sunday, and with his game-breaking ability, that will make a world of difference.
The subtle change to J.C. Hassenauer has made the Steelers run game a bit more effective in their last two outings. Kendrick Green won't be out there snapping errant footballs over Roethlisberger's head nearly every play or getting bullied at the like of scrimmage. That makes a difference.
Pittsburgh enters this with absolutely no expectations other than to be run out of the building by the end of the first quarter. That very well could happen. The Chiefs could show up to this game fully expecting the Steelers to lay down, in which case they'd be risking an embarrassing loss in the first round of the playoffs. At some point, though, the Chiefs will be humbled. Why not this weekend?
Does anyone remember the last time Pittsburgh made it as the last team in? Roethlisberger made his famous shoe-string tackle to send them to the Super Bowl and then proceeded to win the Super Bowl.
Roethlisberger was a much more spry 23-years old back then. Now, at 39-years old with no chance of playing another home game, the odds are obviously much more stacked against him. They've been wildly inconsistent all season long and there's no reason to believe that'll change Sunday.
But wouldn't it be pretty darn cool?
Everyone presumed that Roethlisberger's final field exit would take place on Sunday afternoon, win or lose, because the Colts were playing the Jaguars. The same Jaguars whose fans showed up in clown costumes mocking the team's ownership.
Instead, Roethlisberger will again presumably be playing his final game of his career on Sunday Night Football. Patrick Mahomes vs. a decrepit version of Ben Roethlisberger screams a Chiefs blowout similar to the one they handed them earlier this season.
With no expectations, the Steelers will at least get guys like Najee Harris and Pat Freiermuth their first taste of playoff action. TJ Watt can chase after Mahomes and get that elusive first playoff sack. Roethlisberger can go out and have fun and play loose knowing that this is just icing on the cake as far as this season is concerned.
Even Mike Tomlin can concoct a game plan around trying to beat the Chiefs all while basically being counted out by the media and his peers.
Number seven already has seven come from behind victories this season. Number seven also has a chance to win number seven for the Steelers organization while being the seventh seed in the AFC.
Doesn't that storybook just write itself?
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