PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - JANUARY 10: Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers walks to the huddle during the second half of the AFC Wild Card Playoff game against the Cleveland Browns at Heinz Field on January 10, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)Was this the final night of Ben Roethlisberger’s career in Pittsburgh?
It’s a fair question to ask. The Steelers quarterback is reportedly planning on returning for another season, but Sunday night’s performance was extremely disappointing.
Pittsburgh fell to Cleveland, 48-37, in a game that was not as close as the final score indicates. The Browns got out to a 28-0 lead and led by at least two scores for basically the entire game.
Roethlisberger finished with 501 passing yards and four touchdowns, but he also threw four interceptions, including three extremely costly ones in the first half.
Big Ben’s reaction to the tough loss is going viral on social media. He looked extremely dejected sitting on the bench as time expired.
Pain pic.twitter.com/WQR8FfLT0O
— ProFootballTeamCommenter(3rd best 7-9 team ever) (@PFTCommenter) January 11, 2021
ESPN reported last month that Roethlisberger was planning on returning for 2021:
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger wants to continue playing next season and, barring a change of heart, intends to fulfill the terms of a contract that has one season remaining on it after this one, league sources tell ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Roethlisberger, 38, has said as much in the past. But after this season, which has taken a physical toll on him, sources around Roethlisberger believe the two-time Super Bowl champion is having too much fun and likes his team too much to walk away from it after the 2020 season.
So, Roethlisberger will probably be back for at least one more season, but a performance like tonight could have him second guessing things.
