4 reasons why Steelers early bye week will hurt their Super Bowl chances this year
By Tommy Jaggi
No time to rest Ben Roethlisberger’s throwing arm
Anytime the fate of your season rests on your 38-year-old quarterback, you are going to want to make sure he is in peak condition entering the playoffs. Unfortunately, the Steelers may not have a choice when it comes to Ben Roethlisberger. Pittsburgh could potentially be fighting for the AFC North and home-field advantage this year, which would be no time to give Roethlisberger a rest.
Even if they fall short to the Baltimore Ravens, seeding is important, and they will want to finish high on the list of Wild Card teams. This means that not only will Big Ben be out there for the next 13 weeks in a row (assuming he stays healthy all season), but he will have a lot of usage on his arm by that point.
Through the first three weeks of the 2020 season, Roethlisberger has thrown the ball 109 times (36.3 times per game). This means that he’s on pace to deliver 580 pass attempts this season. Without a break to give his throwing elbow rest in between, Ben could be feeling the effects of not having a bye week by the end of the season.