Steelers’ Roethlisberger has been at best against Chiefs
PITTSBURGH – If there’s a team that would seem a perfect fit for Ben Roethlisberger to play coming off a career-worst five-interception game, then it might be the one they face Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs.
Yes, those same Chiefs that are 5-0 and the only unbeaten team in the NFL.
In seven career games against Kansas City, Roethlisberger is 6-1 with 13 touchdown passes, three interceptions and a passer rating of 118.7.
Several of those starts are ancient history, the first coming back in the 2006 season.
But the Steelers (3-2) faced Kansas City twice last season and Roethlisberger threw for 554 yards, five touchdown passes and just one interception in 58 attempts, or just three more than he attempted Sunday in a 30-9 loss to Jacksonville.
“We’re getting ready to play a future Hall of Fame player,” said Kansas City head coach Andy Reid. “We don’t care what anybody says. That’s what we’re getting ready for.”
The Steelers won 43-14 early in the season last year, then knocked off the Chiefs, 18-16, in the AFC Divisional playoffs in Kansas City.
Roethlisberger wasn’t nearly as sharp in the rematch as he was been in the first meeting – 22 of 27 for 300 yards and five touchdowns – but he was just good enough, throwing for 224 yards.
After throwing five interceptions and no touchdown passes against Jacksonville, Roethlisberger was down on his performance Sunday. But he showed up Wednesday defiant and ready to begin preparations to face the Chiefs.
What brings back that confidence?
“Two Super Bowls, 100-some wins, 300-some, I don’t even know my own stats,” said Roethlisberger, who practiced fully Wednesday after taking the previous three Wednesdays off.
His teammates believe Roethlisberger will bounce back, despite seeing his passer rating fall to 75.8, its lowest point since 2006, when he posted a 75.4 rating for the season after throwing no touchdown passes and seven interceptions in his first three games. That year, Roethlisberger was coming back from a motorcycle accident and missed the regular-season opener with an emergency appendectomy.
The Steelers went 0-3 in Roethlisberger’s first three starts that season after winning the opener with Charlie Batch at quarterback. They played Kansas City in Week 5 and Roethlisberger was 16 of 19 passing for 238 yards and two touchdowns in a 45-7 Pittsburgh rout.
His teammates expect a similar kind of bounceback effort this week.
“Ben is going to be fine,” said backup quarterback Landry Jones. “He’s as big a competitor as anyone in here. Sure, he’s older, but his mental game is so good. I expect him to bounce back against Kansas City.”
That competitive nature is one of the reasons Roethlisberger said his frustration boiled over following the loss to the Jaguars when he said, “Maybe I just don’t have it anymore.”
It was a statement picked up by the national media as Roethlisberger wanting to quit on the season.
But his teammates know that is not the case.
“None, absolutely zero,” said center Maurkice Pouncey of any doubts he might have about Roethlisberger. “I laughed at (his statement). C’mon man. He’s been playing the game way too long to even think something like that.”
Roethlisberger said he was simply frustrated.
“To me that’s the hardest thing about having a bad game is letting the fans down, letting my teammates down,” he said. “That’s what bothers me the most. It’s hard to do that, it’s frustrating and it bothers me more than my own pride. Just letting other people down, especially my teammates, that’s what bothers me the most.”
The Steelers game Oct. 22 against Cincinnati at Heinz Field has been moved from a 1 p.m. start to 4:25 p.m. … Right tackle Marcus Gilbert, who has missed the past two games with a hamstring injury, said he plans to practice this week and play against Kansas City. … Pouncey was given the day off from practice because of a chest injury. Guard Ramon Foster (back) also did not practice.