Steelers got a pregame boost from Ben Roethlisberger

[Who Dey]

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Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is on injured reserve after elbow surgery, but he’s still very much involved with the team for which he has played since 2004.

As explained by Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Roethlisberger gave his teammates a pregame pep talk before Monday night’s win over the Bengals.

“He just talked about the opportunity and not taking for granted being able to play,” cornerback Joe Haden said, via Dulac. “Coming from Ben, knowing he played such a long time and see how much he misses it, how much he wants to be out there, it puts it in perspective for a lot of guys.”

It worked. Although the Steelers seemed a little sluggish early in the game, falling behind 3-0, they snapped out of it in the second quarter and won easily. The explanation was simple: The Steelers seemed to appreciate the significance of playing in prime time, and the Bengals didn’t.

“I think it resonated with a lot of guys,” defensive end Cam Heyward said, per Dulac. “It’s up to us to pick up the slack. He’s done a lot for us over the years. It sucks not having him this year. Maybe one day we can return the favor.”

Heyward wasn’t the only team leader to recognize the significance of the team’s ultimate leader.

“For a player like Ben Roethlisberger, who was born to play football, it says something about the man,” left tackle Alejandro Villanueva said, via Dulac. “It opens the eyes and hearts of those players who, maybe in the back of their minds, take it for granted.”

And it wasn’t just the pregame speech. Roethlisberger was actively involved in helping the team do what it needed to do.

“That’s our leader, so his presence was definitely felt,” running back James Conner said, per Dulac. “Just having our leader there was huge for us and having him on the sideline, communicating, relaying messages to Mason [Rudolph], him telling us what he sees. He did everything he could except play.”

Roethlisberger presumably will be doing it again on Sunday, for a much stiffer test against the Ravens. And if the Steelers win the game with a boost from Big Ben, they’ll be right in the thick of the race for the AFC North crown.