Big Ben’s Most Memorable Game Each Year: Pt 3 (’10-’12)
Ben Roethlisberger has played in 18 seasons for the Steelers for what should transform into a Hall of Fame enshrinement in 2027. Here’s a look back at Big Ben’s most memorable games each year from 2010 through 2012.
2010: Steelers 31, Ravens 24 (AFC Divisional Round)
Courtesy of USA Today
Ben Roethlisberger missed the first four games of the 2010 season due to a suspension. One of the games that he missed was a home loss to the Ravens. Big Ben led the Steelers to an AFC North title and a first-round bye in the playoffs. They met with the arch-rival Baltimore Ravens who had one of the best defenses in the NFL and allowed just 16.9 points per game. The Steelers held strong on the Ravens opening drive to force a punt. Big Ben led a drive that capped off with a Rashard Mendenhall touchdown to take the 7-0 lead. Towards the end of the first quarter, Roethlisberger fumbled the ball during an attempted pass and the Steelers believed it was incomplete while the play was still live. The Ravens picked up the ball to score a touchdown and then took a 21-7 lead going into halftime.
The botched play would’ve haunted Steelers fans if it wasn’t for Big Ben’s great performance in the 2nd half. Roethlisberger threw two touchdowns in the 3rd quarter to tie the game at 21-21. Both teams traded field goals in the 4th quarter to set up the Steeler’s final drive. The Steelers had the ball with a 3rd & 19 at their own 38-yard-line with two minutes left in the game. Big Ben completed a long pass to rookie Antonio Brown for 58 yards. The Steelers scored a touchdown to cap off the drive and sealed the victory by stopping the Ravens. The Steelers later won the AFC Championship against the Jets 24-19, but lost in Super Bowl XLV against the Packers 31-25.
2011: Steelers 25, Patriots 17 (Week 8)
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Tom Brady and the Patriots had seemingly owned the Steelers leading up to their 2011 meeting. Since the Steeler’s regular-season win against the Patriots in 2004, Tom Brady has won 4-straight games against the Steelers. Big Ben threw a touchdown pass on the game’s opening drive to be up 7-0. He then threw another touchdown pass in the second quarter to take a 17-7 lead.
The Steeler’s defense held the Patriots to only around 200 total yards and frequently stopped Tom Brady on third downs. Roethlisberger controlled the game the rest of the way and totaled 365 passing yards. Brett Keisel scored a safety on Tom Brady in the game’s final seconds to put the score at 25-17.
2012: Steelers 24, Giants 20 (Week 9)
Courtesy of USA Today.
Due to Hurricane Sandy ripping through the Atlantic coast, the Steelers flew into New Jersey on game day. The Steelers came out slow offensively. Although Big Ben threw the game’s first touchdown in the 2nd quarter, he later gave up a fumble that was returned and threw an interception. The Giants held a 20-10 lead at the end of the 3rd quarter. At the very start of the 4th quarter, Roethlisberger connected with Mike Wallace for 51 yards to score a touchdown.
Down 20-17, the Steelers failed on a fake field goal attempt at the Giants 3-yard line. Despite being devastating, Big Ben’s game would finish by leading a touchdown drive to retake the lead and go up 24-20. The Steelers got the ball back and Roethlisberger converted on a 3rd & 9 to preserve the victory and thus run out the clock.
From 2010-2012, Big Ben had a 27-13 overall record, 64-27 TD-INT ratio, 263.6 yards per game, and a 94.4 passer rating.
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