Baltimore lost to their old rivals and handed Ben Roethlisberger perhaps the final big win of his career. But there was logic behind a call that decided the game
NFL players don’t normally get to choose when they retire, time makes that decision for them. Reports last week suggested what we had suspected all season: this will be Ben Roethlisberger’s last year with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Assuming the reports are true, Sunday’s 20-19 win over the Baltimore Ravens may go down as a last hurrah for the Hall of Fame-bound quarterback.
It was an ugly game, as it often is when the Steelers face their historical rivals, the Baltimore Ravens. Ugly but compelling. Roethlisberger had put the Steelers ahead thanks to two touchdown passes. But with 12 seconds left, Lamar Jackson connected with Sammy Watkins to cut Pittsburgh’s lead to a solitary point. Head coach John Harbaugh had a decision to make: the Ravens could tie the game on an extra point from Justin Tucker – probably the greatest kicker in the history of the NFL – or win in regulation with a successful two-point conversion.
