Twitter reacts to another abysmal performance by QB Ben Roethlisberger
By Tommy Jaggi
Ben Roethlisberger has been undisputedly one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL in 2021, and Steelers media let him have it following the Packers game.
It’s become less of an opinion at this point and more of an objective statement: Ben Roethlisberger has been atrocious this year. Through the first four games of 2021, the Steelers future Hall of Fame quarterback has only been able to muster up 15.0 offensive points per contest, via Pro Football Reference.
This clearly isn’t good enough to get the job done. Against the Green Bay Packers in Week 4, Roethlisberger followed up two straight losses with another abysmal performance. Though he looked like he might turn things around this year after scoring a touchdown on the first drive of the game, it was all downhill from there.
In this contest, Big Ben routinely missed wide-open receivers down the field and was content checking the ball down underneath –something that has become a custom over the past two seasons.
However, Roethlisberger’s decision-making deserves just as much criticism as his ailing arm. In addition to ignoring some open receivers down the field, Ben once again checked the ball down to Najee Harris short of the sticks on 4th down.
For many in Steelers media, this was the final straw, as Roethlisberger earned his second straight passer rating under 79.0 and has yet to have a game over 87.0 dating back to last season. Here’s were some of the Twitter reactions to Ben Roethlisberger’s lackluster performance against the Packers in Week 4:
Steelers media reactions to Ben Roethlisberger’s performance:
Ben Roethlisberger is now the only QB in the last 20 seasons to lose yardage on multiple 4th-down completions in the same season, per ESPN Stats and Info.
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) October 3, 2021
Today isn't on the offensive line. It's on Ben Roethlisberger. It pains me to say it. But it's the truth.
— SteelerNation (@SteeIerNation) October 3, 2021
Ben Roethlisberger out here missing wide-open layups. Incredibly sad to watch, man.
— Daniel Valente (@StatsGuyDaniel) October 3, 2021
The Steelers will not bench a healthy Ben Roethlisberger, but they should. There’s no benefit to putter along with a washed up quarterback, even if he’s a Hall of Famer. If you’re going to miss the playoffs, do it while fully preparing for next season.
— Mike J. Asti (@MikeAsti11) October 3, 2021
All 3 of the #Steelers' failed drives stem from 3 REALLY bad misses from Ben Roethlisberger. Not tight windows either.
— Christopher Carter (@CarterCritiques) October 3, 2021
I was originally willing to give Ben Roethlisberger until the bye week (two more games) to see if he'd turn it around. But yesterday was enough. He's unwilling to go through any progressions and he simply can't throw while moving. It's over people. Done.
— Colin Dunlap (@colin_dunlap) October 4, 2021
#Steelers offensive points scored in each game this season:
— Tommy Jaggi (@TommyJaggi) October 3, 2021
16 vs Bills
17 vs Raiders
10 vs Bengals
17 vs Packers
Pittsburgh made a big mistake bringing back Big Ben.
What we have seen out of Ben Roethlisberger this season has been nothing short of disastrous. While Pittsburgh may not have much better options on the roster with Mason Rudolph or Dwayne Haskins, it’s frustrating that they allowed him to come back in the first place.
I have been very adamant that it was time for Big Ben to hang up his cleats following the 2020 season, as all of the signs were pointing to a rapid decline in efficiency. Bringing Roethlisberger back in 2021 only delayed the inevitable and forced the Steelers to kick the can further down the road with much more dead money due next offseason.
Trending. 4 takeaways from Steelers ugly loss vs Packers in Week 4. light
Obviously, there’s nothing the team can do about it at this point, but those in the media circle are fed up with his lousy play this year, and we can’t expect it to get much better than what we’ve seen dating back to Week 12 of the 2020 season. This is it for Ben Roethlisberger, and it’s a shame that he has to go out this way.