Big Ben Says He Does Not Feel 100 Percent

By: Sean McGeown, @seanpmcgeown

SteelerNation.com

Coming off their third consecutive loss, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger says he does not feel 100% right now. When asked how he and his arm felt, Roethlisberger had this to say:

"I don't think anybody that plays this game at any level, or at any position, whether it's Week 1 or Week 16 feels 100%. So, no I would say that I don't feel 100%, but nobody does right now."

You can watch the rest of Roethlisberger's post game presser here:

There is evidence based off his performance the past four games that Roethlisberger isn't lying. Over those four games (in which the Steelers are 1-3), Roethlisberger is averaging 232 YPG, has 6 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, and a lost fumble. He has posted a 73 quarterback rating in those contests, and the offense has averaged 17 points per game in that stretch. Pretty easy to agree that Roethlisberger and the rest of the offense are not feeling 100%.

The team has been hit with some tough breaks, between schedule rearrangements due to Covid-19, and a laundry list of injuries. The team has overcome some of this, but right now it's all beginning to feel like a little too much. The injuries have mainly plagued the defensive side of the ball, and they have still performed very well. Turnovers have left them on short fields, and they have worked their tails off to hold teams to as few points as possible. No team has scored over 30, even on this streak. The defense also continued its historic streak Monday night with at least a sack in now 71 straight games.

That is all well and good, but what is it worth if the offense can't hold up it's end of the field? The scary part is the schedule does not get easier for this team, they face two AFC playoff contenders playing some of their best football in December in these last two weeks. The 10-4 Indianapolis Colts come to Heinz Field this week, and then the team travels to Cleveland for a season finale showdown against the 10-4 Cleveland Browns. To top it all off, the AFC North title is far from a shoe in right now as well. Cleveland is now only one game away from tying the Steelers for first place in the division, and it could very well come down to Week 17 to decide who are the kings of the North.

With Roethlisberger not feeling 100%, this could be another tough hurdle to clear.

There is a silver lining, however. The Steelers have clinched a berth in the playoffs already, and have two games against two worthy opponents to show they do belong, and winning 11 straight games was not a fluke. Roethlisberger also confirmed this week he plans on coming back next season, showing his commitment to this team. When asked if they could turn it around with two weeks left in the season , Roethlisberger had this to say:

"Well we better get it figured out, and I think we can."

Actions speak louder than words, and these next two games will show what type of team this is heading into the postseason.

One bright spot to take away from this game was Roethlisberger achieving 60,000 career passing yards and 5,000 career completions. This is adding to an impressive resume that will land him in the Hall of Fame. Hopefully he can help right the ship in time and work towards adding a third Lombardi to that resume as well.

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