BEN ROETHLISBERGER
Quarterback
This is what an actual franchise quarterback does for his team, and this is what it looks like while he's doing it.
After a totally dismal performance in a first half that ended with them losing to the Ravens, 17-7, and being handled physically along the way, the Steelers were in a desperate situation. There would be adjustments made during the 12-minute halftime, but even if those cured all of the defensive ills that helped allow Baltimore to rush for 179 yards in the first half, some serious turnaround also was going to have to happen offensively because that unit had not converted a single third down and amassed only 64 total net yards.
What the Steelers did offensively in the second half was put the ball in Ben Roethlisberger's hands and let him do his thing. Roethlisberger completed 17-of-22 (77.3 percent) in the second half for 158 yards, with two touchdowns, no interceptions, and a rating of 126.7. In a game where the Steelers rushed for only 48 yards, Roethlisberger's playmaking provided the Steelers with what they needed from their offense to post a 28-24 victory over the Ravens in Baltimore.
Roethlisberger is the Steelers Digest Player of the Week.
Also considered were Stephon Tuitt, who had nine tackles, including three for loss, two sacks, and three hits on the quarterback; Robert Spillane, who had 11 tackles,, including one for loss, and a pick-six that accounted for the Steelers' seven first-half points; JuJu Smith-Schuster, who caught seven passes for 67 yards, all in the second half, three of which were good for first downs; T.J. Watt, who had five tackles, one sack, and five hits on the quarterback; Minkah Fitzpatrick, who had seven tackles, a forced fumble, and a pass defensed on the final play in the end zone; and Jordan Berry, who had punts of 56 and 48 yards in the second half when the Steelers were mounting their comeback and then protecting the lead.
