BEN ROETHLISBERGER
Quarterback
Maybe he didn't get a chance to play as much as he wanted in the third preseason game, but Ben Roethlisberger was on the field long enough against the Detroit Lions. Long enough to get a feel for the offense, long enough for his new teammates to get a feel for playing with him in a game situation, long enough to get the Steelers into the end zone, and long enough to impact the outcome of the game.
Roethlisberger played three series and took the Steelers to two touchdowns in what ended up being a 26-20 victory over the Lions at Heinz Field. He completed 8-of-10 for 137 yards, with two touchdowns, no interceptions, and a perfect passer rating of 158.3. Roethlisberger is the Steelers Digest Player of the Week.
Also considered were rookie tight end Pat Freiermuth, who caught two passes for 19 yards, but both of those receptions were good for touchdowns – the first covered 11 yards and the second covered 8 yards; JuJu Smith-Schuster, who caught five passes for 39 yards, including one for 14 yards from Roethlisberger that converted a third-and-3 on one of the touchdown drives; Diontae Johnson, who made a nice adjustment on a 43-yard pass from Roethlisberger that converted a third-and-3 on the other touchdown drive; Najee Harris, who caught a short pass from Roethlisberger and turned it into a 46-yard gain; Jamir Johnson, who had two tackles, shared a sack with Marcus Allen, had two hits on the quarterback, and was in on three special teams tackles; and Chris Boswell, who was 4-for-4 on field goals (35, 23, 24, and 42 yards) and made both of his PATs.
