Ben Roethlisberger
NFL teams live and die by their quarterbacks, and Ben Roethlisberger is no exception. In week 15 last season, the Steelers upset the Patriots, but it wasn’t necessarily because of Ben.
Pittsburgh’s defense was playing lights-out. They were able to keep New England’s offense in check to just 10 points. Meanwhile, Roethlisberger only 64.7 percent of his passes for 235 yards with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. His 79.9 passer rating was the 3rd worst of any game he had last season.
Big Ben has a chance to redeem himself, but he will be without Antonio Brown at his disposal this year. The Patriots defense was fantastic down the stretch in 2018 and stands to be very good again this season.
Last year, Ben started the season with a 5 turnover game against the Cleveland Browns. He can ill afford to start so poorly against the defending Super Bowl Champions this year. Protecting the ball will be a key to the Steelers success against New England, and it starts with Ben Roethlisberger.