Steelers Great Ben Roethlisberger Admits To "Missing The Game" For The First Time

The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered their first loss of the season in Week 4 against the Indianapolis Colts. They went down 17-0 early and managed to only score a field goal before halftime. Pittsburgh, led by quarterback Justin Fields, launched a valiant effort to come back, especially in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, not even having former Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger in attendance was enough; they ended up losing 24-27. 

Roethlisberger was in Indianapolis with Yinzer and Colts legend, Pat McAfee, who now hosts The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN. After spending 18 seasons under center in black and gold, Roethlisberger finally retired at the end of the 2021 season. He was hanging out with McAfee in his suite along with Spencer Te'o, the co-host of his podcast, Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger.   

McAfee regaled his audience with tales of having the future Hall of Famer join him for the game. He said there was an abundance of trash talk from Colts fans to Steelers fans, particularly because the Colts came back to rout the Steelers in 2023. 

"It was great to have him in there," said McAfee of Roethlisberger. "Lot of Yinzers losing their mind whenever they first see him, obviously everything he has done. But the way Ben Roethlisberger takes the game in, he was living and dying in that thing. He was very invested. He's Ben Roethlisberger, so obviously, his decisions versus anyone else's decisions, including Joe Flacco, are fascinating to hear at the time. Whenever he says, 'This is the only time, this is what I miss right here.' Imagine, he jumps over that, and he goes out there? He's in great shape, down 20 pounds from his playing days."

Since retiring, Roethlisberger has enjoyed having extra time with his family and working on his golf game. He hosts his podcast weekly during the season, but otherwise, he seems to be enjoying time away from football. Unlike other players who seem to waffle about retirement, wishing they could come back and play, Roethlisberger doesn't seem to regret his decision. 

He has just about done it all. He won two out of three Super Bowls he played in and was selected to six Pro Bowls. He took the league by storm his rookie season, being named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

He was nearly impossible to bring down. It wasn't uncommon to see multiple defenders hanging off him, trying to get him to the ground. He finished his career, having thrown for 64,088 yards and 418 touchdowns. 

Steelers' Justin Fields Showing Growth

The Steelers planned to open the season with Russell Wilson as their starting quarterback, but he was injured before the start of the season. That gave Fields the opportunity to step up and show the Steelers and the league that he is better than the quarterback he appeared to be with the Chicago Bears. 

It appears that Head Coach Mike Tomlin and Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith have been slowly letting out the leash on Fields, allowing him to do a bit more each game. They have focused on him protecting the football, which he has done remarkably well so far through four games. 

After the game, Fields took responsibility for the error that caused the final, potential game-winning drive to stall. The Steelers had gotten the game within three points and had the ball with over two minutes on the clock. They moved the ball down the field, but a botched snap led to Fields fumbling the ball and going down well behind the line of scrimmage. They were unable to pick the yardage back up, and it had put them out of field goal range; they ultimately lost. 

Steelers fans were relieved when they drafted Zach Frazier, the standout center from West Virginia. Unfortunately, Fields and Frazier have had some miscommunications all season that have resulted in some botched snaps. The Steelers are still atop the AFC North, but if they are going to survive the tough gauntlet of the second half of their season, they will have to sort out that problem. 

Are you surprised to hear that Roethlisberger still misses the game sometimes? Click to comment below. 

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