If you thought you ran the full range of emotions on Saturday night during the Steelers AFC Wild Card win over the Cincinnati Bengals, just imagine what quarterback Landry Jones was going through.
In a matter of minutes he went from watching Ben Roethlisberger lead the Steelers to a 15-0 lead until the final play of the third quarter, to being the team's quarterback in the biggest game of his career to date.
"You don't have time to think about it," said Jones. "You just go out there and make plays."
And then, imagine his emotions when the unthinkable happened, when he saw the lead dwindle away, the Bengals going up 16-15, and as the offense took the field for what many thought was their last chance, he threw an interception right into the hands of Vontaze Burfict. The emotional roller coaster took a plunge like no other.
Until a few seconds later, when all the Bengals had to do pretty much was run a few plays and instead Ryan Shazier knocked the ball free from Jeremy Hill.
"You go from the lowest of lows to we have a chance to win the game," said Jones. "You feel like you gave the game away and then Shazier makes this unbelievable play and turns it all around for us. It was unbelievable. They played hard. They played physical. It's going to go down as one of the crazier games in NFL history."
While Roethlisberger returned for the final game-winning drive, his status for this Sunday's AFC Divisional Playoff game against the Denver Broncos is still in question as a result of his shoulder injury.
"Ben has a chance," said Coach Mike Tomlin. "We will manage him day-to-day. He will probably be a partial participant tomorrow to get his run game readiness ready to go. We will increase his activity as the week goes. We will deal with him in an appropriate manner and let the quality of his performance be our guide in terms of his availability. That's where we are right now.
"That is going to provide an awesome opportunity for Landry to get the physical reps necessary to deliver for us if called upon. There are probably going to be extensive opportunities for him to get physical preparation this week. So, logically, we can expect a better result if he gets an opportunity to play. I know he is excited about that and getting an opportunity to physically prepare, and hopefully getting an opportunity from his perspective to rebound. If he does, then obviously, we will expect him to play winning football for us."
If Roethlisberger can't go, Jones said he will be ready to roll.
I am going to go out and prepare for Denver," said Jones. "Even if he is cleared to play, I am going to prepare the way I have all year.
"It helps being familiar with them. They have had two weeks to prepare and a whole week to prepare for us. But it does help being familiar with them."
