By: CJ Lester, @CJLester58
SteelerNation.com
We are now less than a month away from watching our Pittsburgh Steelers take on the New York Giants in East Rutherford, New Jersey. For some reason, this offseason has taken forever! Maybe, it’s because of everything going on in all of our lives, or maybe because we were deprived of all sports for a while. I am always excited for the start of the Steelers season, but I am especially ready for this upcoming season. That’s probably because of the return of our beloved QB1 Ben Roethlisberger. We have watched numerous videos of the progression of Roethlisberger during the rehab of his throwing arm and we have heard statements that make us feel even more confident in the return of 7. This adds more anticipation for the start of the season. I am not going to lie; my hopes are through the roof and I believe a lot of you all have your hopes high as well. Will the future Hall of Fame quarterback return to pre-injury form or will it take a few weeks for him to get back into the groove of things? In 2018, Roethlisberger’s last full season, he threw for 5,129 yards, 34 touchdowns, 16 interceptions, with a completion percentage of 67%. Will he be able to put up similar numbers and cut back on the interceptions this season? In a perfect world, that is what we all want! I bet no one is more eager to see Big Ben put up Big Ben type numbers than Roethlisberger himself. The Revenge tour has to start somewhere and the only place to start is in New Jersey against the Giants, Week 1.
Picture this, it’s Monday, September 14th, around 5pm and you’re watching ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown. As you’re watching and listening, you hear Steve Young, Randy Moss, Louis Riddick, Suzy Kolber, and company discussing their thoughts on how Big Ben will perform in his return. You may have one or two analysts expecting what we are expecting, but my guess is that most of them will predict that he will struggle. As we all know, the Steelers get disrespected time and time again by the national media. It’s hard when you get into the business of predicting how well a player or team will do sometimes. However, if 7 is his confident in his abilities when he returns to action, I have no other choice but to be confident as well.
Week 1 Prediction:
Steelers 34, Giants 10
No preseason could be viewed as not having any games for Ben Roethlisberger to get acquainted with his new weapons and re-acclimated with his former teammates on the field. I view it as what it really is, meaning there will be no additional wear and tear on our aging quarterback’s body in meaningless games for a veteran like himself. If all offensive weapons are at his disposal, look for Roethlisberger to torch a Giants’ defense that struggled last season and didn’t do anything significant to improve this offseason. In 2019, the Giants defense ranked near the bottom of the league at 25th. Roethlisberger is as anxious to get out there as we are to see him out there, so I expect him to light up the Giants defense early and often. With the help of a running back by committee approach the Steelers open up the pass game and get some new weapons involved as well as some familiar faces. I also expect our defense to continue to be stingy only giving up 10 points to a Daniel Jones led offense. Of course, the Giants will hand the ball to Saquon Barkley about 30 times, but I think the Steelers’ run defense will contain him for the most part. Golden Tate will sneak behind defenders getting open for a few receptions as well, putting up a decent stat line.
Projected Stat line:
Steelers:
Ben Roethlisberger: 19-28 for 314 yards, 3 TDs and 1 Interception
James Conner: 18 carries for 72 yards, 1 TD
Juju Smith-Schuster: 6 receptions for 106 yards, 1 TD
Diontae Johnson: 5 receptions for 92 yards, 1 TD
Eric Ebron: 4 Receptions for 54 yards, 1 TD
Giants:
Daniel Jones: 15-32 for 216 yards, 1 TD and 2 Interceptions
Saquon Barkley: 32 caries for 103 yards
Golden Tate: 6 receptions for 92 yards, 1 TD
Will Ben Roethlisberger begin his revenge tour early with a great performance in Week 1 against the Giants? Sound off in the comments section below, on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
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