Just one short week ago, the talk of Steeler Nation was about Ben Roethlisberger’s unacceptably high rate of turnovers, and whether he’d be able to survive another game of punishing hits while nursing a sprained left foot. Well, Big Ben silenced his critics on Sunday with a masterpiece performance that propelled Pittsburgh to a resounding and much-needed win over the visiting Tennessee Titans.
Here was Big Ben’s stat line for the day:
24-of-34 (70.6%), 224 yards, 5 TDs, 1 INT, 115.7 QB rating
Impressive stuff. Roethlisberger took fewer chances down the field which is why the yards total was relatively low. But that appeared to be by design as a result of his injured foot. The result was a far more efficient and productive day from the pocket as he got rid of the ball before taking too many hits.
Roethlisberger’s five touchdown passes matched a career-high set back on one of the more memorable nights in recent Steelers history. You surely don’t forget November 5, 2007, the night the Steelers celebrated the 75th anniversary did you? Roethlisberger also threw five TDs that night in front of a raucous Heinz Field crowd and a number of Steelers legends who were in town for the game.
Roethlisberger now has eight TDs on the year, and for the first time all season, more TDs than interceptions (six). Had he not thrown that bizarre interception right before halftime, his quarterback rating might have approached a perfect mark.
Let's hope there’s more of where that came from in the weeks ahead.