Not many athletes get to experience a storybook ending towards the end of their career, but Ben Roethlisberger got to experience a pretty special goodbye at Heinz Field on Monday night.
Roethlisberger’s Steelers beat the Cleveland Browns 26-14 to improve to 8-7-1. Though Roethlisberger did not play very well, he did not get in the way of his team’s stellar defensive performance.
“It’s not always pretty, but we find a way,” Roethlisberger said in a postgame interview with ESPN.
This was widely expected to be Roethlisberger’s final home game with the Steelers. The defense held Cleveland in check most of the way, but things got dicey towards the end when the Browns scored late. However, Najee Harris broke free for a 37-yard touchdown to seal the win.
It was after that TD that Big Ben really started to get emotional and soak it all in. The video is great.
#ThankyouBen pic.twitter.com/04FPY6gp36
— Pardon My Take (@PardonMyTake) January 4, 2022
As if that weren’t enough, the Steelers also got an interception and gave Roethlisberger a chance to kneel down in the victory formation to end the game.
Roethlisberger hung around on the field to soak it all in with his teammates and family.
So far, we have heard that Roethlisberger was not expected to be back with the Steelers next season. That left in question whether or not he would continue his career elsewhere. Based on how Monday night went, Roethlisberger sure looked like a guy who will be walking away after the season.
