Big Ben playing even bigger for dominant Steelers

A big comeback year for Ben Roethlisberger has the Pittsburgh Steelers thinking Super Bowl once again. Indeed, at 38 and a little over a year removed from elbow surgery, Big Ben isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. Through six games in 2020 (all Steelers wins), he’s connected on over 68 percent of his passes for 1,446 yards and 13 touchdowns against only four interceptions for a quarterback rating of 99.6. Not gaudy numbers by any stretch but certainly an indicator he’s playing solid football with minimal mistakes. That was evident in his best game of the year in Week 5, when he completed 27 of 34 passes for 239 yards and three TDs and no interceptions in a 38-29 home victory against the cross-state rival Philadelphia Eagles. In that game, Roethlisberger connected twice with rookie receiver Chase Claypool on scores. In his 17th year in the league, Roethlisberger has shown a willingness to improve his game, trying to build relationships with young receivers like Claypool while working on his footwork and placement of his deep ball. Pittsburgh center Maurkice Pouncey has taken notice, and he credits Roethlisberger with bringing out the best in his receivers. “When you have a great quarterback with a skill set like that,” he said, “you can just attack different areas of the football field.” Roethlisberger and the Steelers face a big test Thursday, Nov. 26, when they take on their AFC North rivals the Baltimore Ravens in a Thanksgiving night contest airing on NBC.