Ben Roethlisberger May Have Played A Role In The Steelers' Dominating Victory Over The Browns

The Pittsburgh Steelers welcomed back a legend on Sunday in Week 8 ahead of the team's home game against the Cleveland Browns. Former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was at Acrisure Stadium as he did The Terrible Towel Twirl before the game alongside a member of the U.S. Military. This wasn't the first time that Roethlisberger has been back at a home game since retiring following the 2021 season. He has been back on several occasions, and he has even been to an away game against the Indianapolis Colts. He is still active within the fan base due to his podcast, and he also does some radio hits with the Steelers.

Roethlisberger joined his former teammates Max Starks and Willie Colon on In The Locker Room on Wednesday, which is a show on Steeler Nation Radio. The three talked a bit about their playing days together, but then they began talking about the current version of the Steelers and the game on Sunday. Roethlisberger seemed impressed with the Steelers in many ways, and he was of course glad to be in the building for a game where the Steelers destroyed the Browns.

The former quarterback is often considered to be the "father" of the Browns due to how much he dominated them within the AFC North throughout his playing career. Cleveland has never won the AFC North, and Roethlisberger had a record of 26-3-1 against the Browns from 2004 through 2021. He dominated the franchise, and he believes he may have gotten into the Browns' heads before kickoff.

"Listen, I don't ever want to be a finger pointer, but I'll point the thumb. When I walked in there, the Browns got deflated quickly," Roethlisberger said.

The former quarterback was joking of course, as there aren't many players on the current Browns roster that even faced Roethlisberger. Safety Grant Delpit and cornerback Denzel Ward are two of the players that have, but that's about it. However, there is something to be said about the Browns playing their worst game of the season with Roethlisberger in the building.

It didn't really feel like the Browns were ever in this game, especially once the contest hit halftime. Cleveland could not do anything on offense, and the defense struggled to keep the Steelers from moving the ball, especially on the ground.

The Steelers won by three touchdowns, and that's how a lot of Roethlisberger's starts against Cleveland went. In his career he threw for nearly 7,000 yards and 43 touchdowns against the Browns, which just shows how things went when it was Pittsburgh against Cleveland with Roethlisberger under center.

Steelers' Current Team Is Reminiscent Of Ben Roethlisberger's Early Years

Roethlisberger was kind of thrust into the role as starting quarterback in Pittsburgh earlier than the organization probably wanted him to be. Tommy Maddox got hurt, which forced the coaching staff to put the rookie in the game back in 2004. He went on to have a legendary rookie season as his record as a starter was 13-0 during the regular season, but the Steelers weren't really dicing defenses up throwing the football. In 13 starts, Roethlisberger threw for just 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions and under 3,000 yards. The offense relied on the run game, while the defense was stout. 

That is a lot like how the current Steelers operate. Aaron Rodgers has had some great performances in the black and gold, but he is not the player he used to be. The run game is the identity on offense, and the defense has been playing like one of the best in the league as of late.

What do you think about Roethlisberger's joke that he may have played a role in Cleveland playing badly? Let me know on X, @Brogannoey!
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