With so many options from which choose, whether newcomers playing for the first time or T.J. Watt getting a career-best 3 ½ sacks or Diontae Johnson catching a pair of touchdowns, Mike Tomlin chose to give the game ball after Sunday’s 20-19 victory against the Baltimore Ravens to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
And not just because Roethlisberger threw two touchdowns, did not throw an interception for the fifth time in the past six games and had his second-highest passer rating this season.
It was because he did what only two other quarterbacks in NFL history have done more times than him — engineer a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter.
Those moments, Tomlin said, are valuable learning tools for other players.
“I've been in a lot of circumstances like that with him, and he usually does what he did [Sunday],” Tomlin said Monday at his weekly news conference. “And not only that, but he relishes those opportunities. You want to educate young players, too. I'm sure Ben's got a lot of game balls at the house, but it was also a point to be made to the young player — what’s desired and expected.
“Our young players get an opportunity to learn a lot from guys like Ben and Cam (Heyward), not only in terms of how they conduct themselves and the things that they say, but how they perform and how they perform in those thick moments.”
It was the 39th time Roethlisberger has led the Steelers on a game-winning comeback drive in the fourth quarter. Only Peyton Manning (43) and Tom Brady (41) have done it more times, according to Pro Football Reference.
“You get to be Ben, you get to be Cam, for a reason — because of your ability and your willingness to consistently rise up in those moments and deliver,” Tomlin said.
Roethlisberger joked after the game he has to get ready for a Thursday night game in Minnesota when he typically doesn’t even practice until Thursday in any given week.
But it hasn’t bothered him lately. In his past three Thursday night starts, Roethlisberger has 12 touchdown passes with no interceptions and a 142.0 passer rating. He needs 242 yards to become only the sixth player in history with 3,000 passing yards in 15 seasons.
“It's never easy to play in four days,” Roethlisberger said. “Half the time, I don't even practice on Thursdays, let alone play a game, so we're all in the same boat, and we have to go out there and do what we can.”
Witherspoon steps up
The Steelers used a fifth-round pick to obtain cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon from the Seattle Seahawks in September, but until the game against the Ravens, he had played only 39 snaps.
One of the reasons for his limited appearances is because Witherspoon didn’t play on special teams, unlike the other backup corners, James Pierre and Justin Layne.
But, needing to make some change in the defense, the Steelers sat down Pierre and started Witherspoon against the Ravens. He played 62 snaps, had five tackles and made one of the biggest pass breakups of the game on a deep third-down pass for tight end Mark Andrews.
“It was one of the chief reasons we acquired him when we acquired him,” Tomlin said. “He's a veteran guy that's assumed that role in the past, has played starting football and played a lot of football. But he got on a moving train here, and so he had to learn what to do and bide his time and wait for his opportunity. The opportunity presented itself and he displayed readiness, which is not surprising by us.”
Pierre, who started four games this season because of injuries to Joe Haden, did not play a defensive snap against the Ravens. The Steelers made the move because they were concerned about his confidence level after he was beaten for three long touchdowns this season, the most recent coming in Cincinnati.
Remember me?
When the Steelers acquired defensive end Chris Wormley in a trade with the Ravens before the 2020 season, Tomlin said he told him, “Man, when a team trades you within the division, they’re telling you what they think of you.”
In other words, not very much.
Tomlin likely reiterated those words to Wormley last week, not that it was necessary. Wormley responded with a career-high 2 ½ sacks against his former team, a big performance for a defense that was seeking to generate more pressure on Lamar Jackson.
It was the first time in five seasons Wormley had multiple sacks in a game.
“I think no matter what the week is and who you’re playing, I want to be able to perform well,” Wormley said. “But it’s extra special to do it against the team who traded you away.”
And, after sacking Jackson seven times, the Steelers have vaulted to the spot where they have spent the past four record-setting seasons — leading the league in sacks (37). They would be the only team in NFL history to lead the league four consecutive seasons.
Talking about practice?
It might be a good idea for Tomlin to consider not letting T.J. Watt practice ever again.
After spending the week on the reserve/COVID-19 list, the All-Pro linebacker responded with 3 ½ sacks, a forced fumble and caused Jackson to throw wide of Andrews on the game-deciding two-point conversion.
He did much the same thing in the season opener in Buffalo after not practicing or playing the entire preseason while waiting for a new contract. Watt responded with two sacks, five quarterback hits and a forced fumble.
So, in two outings in which he had no practice leading up to the game, Watt has 5 ½ sacks, 11 quarterback hits and two forced fumbles.
“He's unique in a collection of unique people,” Tomlin said. “But his production, his output, is unique. So we shouldn't be surprised that his method or his process is unique. His level of effort, his attention to detail, his intensity, all are unique.”
Gerry Dulac: gdulac@post-gazette.com and Twitter @gerrydulac.
First Published: December 6, 2021, 8:02 p.m.
