Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger Admits He Was Hopeful Ravens' Isaiah Likely Scored On Controversial Touchdown Play

Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin always knows how to give the fan base a midseason scare. Luckily for Tomlin and company, he was able to help orchestrate a 27-22 win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 14. The game got tense late as the Ravens were driving, and quarterback Lamar Jackson thought he had thrown the go-ahead touchdown to tight end Isaiah Likely, but Likely could not hold onto the football. The referees originally called the play a touchdown, then reviewed it and determined that it was not. Had Likely secured the catch, it would have given the Ravens a one-point lead with 2:43 remaining.

While Steelers fans were thrilled that it was ruled a non-touchdown, former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had a different take on his podcast Footbahlin. On Tuesday night, Roethlisberger explained why he actually would have found it productive for the Ravens to have had that touchdown counted. Instead of celebrating the break Pittsburgh caught, he admitted he was curious about how the Steelers would have responded under pressure.

Roethlisberger said the situation would have been the perfect opportunity to test the offense in a true two-minute drill, something every team wants to see before entering the final stretch of the season. In his view, allowing that touchdown would have set up an invaluable scenario that required the offense to answer with the game on the line. Luckily, it didn't count.

"Now part of me, and I don't know what would have happened so I do not know if I would have wanted this truthfully," Roethlisberger admitted while speaking on his podcast. "The other reason that I think a touchdown would have been potentially good there for the Likely touchdown for Baltimore, for Baltimore to take a lead there, part of me would have liked to see that because I would have liked to see what resolve and what the Steelers offense... What was the answer?"

Roethlisberger went on to say he would have loved to see what Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith and quarterback Aaron Rodgers could have drawn up with just under three minutes remaining and only a field goal needed for the win. 

With the Steelers still shaping their offensive identity, he believed that type of moment would have revealed a lot about their confidence, rhythm, and ability to execute in high-pressure situations. For Roethlisberger, those are the moments that separate good offenses from great ones, and he was genuinely curious to see how Smith and Rodgers would have handled that challenge.

"Now obviously, there is a flip side to that," Roethlisberger said. "You can lose the game, but you get to drive down the field. You get a confidence builder and you could go down and you get the ball to [Chris Boswell] or you throw a touchdown pass. Maybe that's just a little something extra the offense needed, but then that goes with maybe you then lose the game... I would have liked to see them have a chance to do that." 

Luckily for Steeler Nation, the touchdown by Likely was taken off the board and the Steelers were able to finish the game with a little less stress than the moment first suggested. 

Steelers Escape Baltimore With Pivotal Win

The defense held strong, the offense protected the lead, and Pittsburgh escaped with a crucial win that kept them firmly in the AFC North race. Roethlisberger’s perspective is understandable, especially from a quarterback who made a career out of late-game heroics, but the reality is that inviting that kind of pressure would have been far too risky. 

At 6-6 and already flirting with surrendering the division for yet another season, the Steelers could not afford to gamble with momentum or playoff positioning.

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