Turning Points: Big Ben puts the team on his back
Could’ve. Would’ve. Should’ve. These words define those who fall short of their goals. Such is the case of this series, which will examine the ebbs and flows of the Pittsburgh Steelers 2018 season and how specific individual plays may have shaped the year.
Previous iterations of this series looked at how costly a turnover was to the Steelers in a loss to the Broncos, and how a blown officiating call impacted their defeat against the Chargers. This time around, I want to look at a “Turning Point” which could’ve put the 2018 season on the backburner early, had it not worked out in the Steelers favor.
(And while the season is over for the Steelers, you can still get in on playoff action! Visit US-Bookies.com to find out how to bet on Super Bowl LIII.)
Hot off of a five-game winning streak, the Steelers traveled to Jacksonville, Florida for a rematch against the Jaguars: a team who embarrassed Pittsburgh at Heinz Field not just once, but twice during the 2017 season.
It was a hotly anticipated game, originally scheduled for Sunday Night Football. However, the kickoff time would be moved to 1pm following a 3-6 start to the Jaguars season.
In other words, the game probably wouldn’t be appealing to the masses… and for all intents and purposes, it wasn’t appealing at all. Through most of three quarters the Steelers played boring, uninspired football which saw them headed toward a mark in the loss column.
The Steelers fell behind 16-0 following a Leonard Fournette touchdown with 2:09 remaining in the third quarter. All hope appeared to be lost as Roethlisberger continued to have his passes picked off by Jaguars defenders, with three going the other way until he finally connected with Antonio Brown for the Steelers first points of the game a short 52 seconds after Fournette’s score.
However, the Steelers would miss the two-point try after and remain behind by ten points.
They would then rally to close the score to 16-13 before Roethlisberger and the Steelers offense got the ball back with 1:42 left in the game. Big Ben would work his magic, leading the offense to the Jaguars two-yard line before several Jacksonville penalties saw the Steelers turn into a cat with nine lives.
That’s when Ben would put the team on his back and run for and dive at the goal line for the Steelers go-ahead touchdown.
The Steelers would leave Jacksonville victorious, winners of six-straight, with a 20-16 final score.
