A large component to a team’s success in the NFL is a short memory, both good and bad. The Pittsburgh Steelers bounced back after a humiliating loss against the Cincinnati Bengals by winning a tough, gritty matchup versus AFC North rival, Baltimore Ravens. With the Steelers traveling to Minnesota to take on the Minnesota Vikings for Thursday Night Football this week, there needs to be a very short hangover after Week 13 as we look ahead to Week 14. Seeing as though this week is an abbreviated one, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger held his weekly meeting with the media on Tuesday as the team prepares for another NFC North showdown.
Earlier this week, head coach Mike Tomlin said he awarded the Ravens game ball to Roethlisberger to show the younger players what is expected by the organization. This may have been something that stemmed from last week’s comments by various Steelers’ alumni that helps the next “generation” of players to witness the Pittsburgh Steelers’ standard. Roethlisberger was asked about his thoughts of receiving the game ball last Sunday:
“Maybe because it’s the Ravens, and it’s at home and that’s a special win,” he said. “Playing a team like that, any AFC North team, but especially those guys and it’s just something special about winning and winning at home and doing it that way.” He ended by saying, “You think about the many fourth quarter or last play of the game type things that have happened against those guys and it’s special.”
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Looking back to last week, Roethlisberger referred to the Bengals game as "bubblegum," where you chew on it for a bit and spit it out. He’s taking a similar approach to the recent 20-19 victory this week. When asked how long he was going to “chew” on last week, Roethlisberger said:
“Just through the night. Had family and friends over and then it’s literally the next morning you got to move on, just because it’s a short week and you got to go. It’s no different then if you had a bad day at the office, you got to move on quickly. Having a good day, you still have to move on because you have the next week, and that’s what we have to do.”
Although this week features an out-of-conference opponent in the Vikings, the Steelers are still facing a familiar foe in Vikings’ head coach, Mike Zimmer. Zimmer used to be the defensive coordinator for the Bengals and is known as one of the best defensive minds in the NFL. Naturally, Roethlisberger faced several questions about how he is preparing and what he thinks the offense will see on Thursday:
“We watched a little bit [of tape] today of the last time they came here and played. In Cincinnati, a lot of the double-barrel stuff, we do look at a lot of that stuff today.” Looking at how the Vikings have 16 players on their roster who each have a sack this season, Roethlisberger continued his thoughts, “They’re not a heavy blitz team, they just got really good football players. Obviously, they’re dealing with some injuries as well, two of their D-linemen, that their big sack guys aren’t going to be out there. But they do that double-barrel, the Coach Zimmer double-barrel, and bringing some safeties up, but it’s not an overly complicated, where they’re giving you a million different looks, it’s just guys being better than the guy across from them.”
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One of the biggest performers of last week’s game was linebacker TJ Watt. Watt recorded 3.5 sacks in the game, with 3 tackles for loss, and 6 hits on Ravens’ quarterback, Lamar Jackson. Roethlisberger was asked about Watt’s performance and what he brings to the team:
“I think TJ is seriously one of the best players I’ve ever played against, and I’ve played against some really good defensive guys. He truly is a special player. I’m glad I’ve never been sacked by him. He is a game-changer and a game-wrecker. I’ve been a part of guys like that, Troy Polamalu, who can change a football game and it doesn’t happen on defense that often. To be a literal game-changer on defense is something completely special and he should be recognized more than just a defensive player. He should absolutely get MVP votes as well because that’s what kind of a player he is.”
With the Steelers being in tight contention in the AFC playoff race, they will need as much help from Watt and Roethlisberger as they can get. It goes without saying that every game is a must-win at this point in the season.
What are you looking for in practice this week? Do you think Watt should be named MVP? Let us know in the comments!
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